By S. S. Suarez
The warehouse is one of the dangerous places to work in. I have been managing five warehouse facilities with a combined area of 5 hectares and 50,000 pallet positions. Imagine the chaos brought by the people working in the warehouse, trucks coming in and out and the number of mechanical handling equipment if there is no system and order to manage such complex operations.
In our operation, we conducted our standard risk assessment process. The top 5 hazards are mobile equipment (truck and forklifts), manual handling, falling objects, horseplaying and fatigue. I mentioned fatigue because our pickers and operators have been complaining about the increasing volume for FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) products now that the peak season already started.
In view of the peak season in warehousing operations, I would like to share some warehouse safety tips from the Logistics Bureau Asia:
1. Manual handling risks are generated from the need to lift and carry excessive weight; also from a high frequency of movement, or awkward lifting and handling operations. Staff should be properly trained to lift and carry.
2. Dangerous and unskilled operation of equipment is always an issue. Forklift trucks driven too fast or so that they overturn or tip over, goods can fall or be knocked over, people and trucks can collide with badly stacked goods. All operations should hold a license acquired after attending a proper training course.
3. Safe operation of equipment depends on a very high level of training and then continually assessing performance and retraining where necessary. It also depends on a well-designed layout and operational flow.
4. The greatest area of activity that contributes to lost time or reportable accidents is in injuries die to manual handling activities. Everybody is different physically and it is not easy to establish standard weights and dimensions that an operator can be expected to handle manually.
5. Steel capped safety shoes should be worn by all members of staff who frequently and regularly enter the operating areas. Safety helmets should be worn where there is a risk of small items falling from racking etc.
6. Storage media should be inspected regularly for damage. Damaged racking should be replaced or repaired immediately. Truck drivers should be encouraged to report if they damage racking. Periodic checks should be made to ensure the safety locking on beams is located correctly.
7. Delivery drivers should not be allowed into the building and visitors and staff car parks should be sealed off the main access to the warehouse with pedestrian only gates that can be manned by security staff.
8. For operator’s comfort and ease of working, consideration needs to be given to working temperature and humidity, as well as ventilation to remove fumes from engines, shrink-wrapping machines and battery charging. Lighting levels should be set so that operators can clearly make out such things as color codes, product and location identification numbers as well as operating their equipment and moving stock in a safe manner.
Actually, the list for warehouse safety measures could go on and on depending on the size of the warehouse, the type of goods to be handled and the type of equipment to be used. To come up with an effective warehouse safety and health program, the first step is always hazard identification followed by a comprehensive risk assessment process.
Safety observations and near-miss reporting are highly encouraged among our staff. It took us three years to build a culture of safety in our warehousing operations. We are now 1,020 days without Lost-Time-Accident. Achieving such record will always require a lot of patience, hard work and sacrifices, but it can be done if you put your minds and hearts into it.
