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What are key features in warehouse safety

by Ron Wolf

There is at least one fatal injury in every 100000 persons when it comes to work injuries in Australia. Nobody wants that one person. It might seem like a small number, but accidents happen when you least expect them. This is why we all need to be prepared and extra careful. Warehouses are a common place for injuries, and the warehouse must be safe.

 

In retail establishments, warehouses, and other enterprises, forklifts are indispensable. They support workers in remaining effective, efficient, and organized. Let’s check some of the key features when it comes to warehouse safety and forklift usage.

 

Go through forklift training

 

All vehicles powered with electric motors require proper training and here’s what OSHA says about it.  The training needs to be thorough and cover the following subjects:

 

  • General guidelines and utilized vehicle kinds
  • Forklift risks and general safety guidelines from OSHA
  • Only under the guidance of an experienced employee are trainees permitted to operate a forklift.
  •  Formal training may include lectures, videos, software training, written materials, demonstrations, and practical practice.
  • Every three years, forklifts that are in use are examined. If you rent them, your forklift rental service can do this for you.
  • Before driving, the employer must certify that the employee is capable of operating a forklift. 
  • Refresher training sessions are required, and forklift operators must do a comprehensive examination to guarantee a forklift is safe to use.

 

Prevent all possible hazards before operating

Checking some of the potential hazards before operating a forklift is crucial. 

 

  • Check the oil and tire pressure
  • Look for any  leaks
  • Verify that the forks are straight and uncracked
  • Test the steering wheel, horn, lights, and brakes
  • Check if the terrain is uneven and more.
  • Avoid hazards with pedestrians
  • Avoid hazards with imbalanced loads
  • Respect the speed limits, drive safely and let others know about your presence (use a horn)

 

Use floor marking tape

 

Floor marking tape is a kind of safety device for forklift operation. It can be applied to the floor of the warehouse to show the safe operating area for forklifts. Floor marking tape is usually made from non-slip material and is usually fluorescent orange.

It’s crucial to keep your forklift and vehicle drivers and pedestrian employees apart to prevent harmful mishaps, but creating safe routes and traffic lanes doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. You can mark off portions of your warehouse using floor tape to keep people on foot out of harm’s way and make sure cars stay on the right side of the road. 

 

The nicest part about using tape is that it can be quickly and readily modified to fit a new workspace arrangement or method of operation as and when you need to work in other locations.

 

Use safety signs in the warehouse

 

Safety signs are a great way to improve warehouse security. They can be used to warn people about potential dangers in the warehouse and also to show them where they should go.

Some of the most common types of safety signs that are used in warehouses are:

-Danger signs

-Caution signs

-Keep out signs

-No entry signs

-First aid stations

 

Danger signs warn people about potential dangers in the warehouse. These can be things like “No Smoking” or “Chemical Storage”. 

A danger sign will usually have a red triangle with an exclamation point inside of it.

Caution signs warn people about potential dangers in the warehouse. These are usually seen on surfaces that could be dangerous when wet such as doors or floors. A caution sign will usually have a yellow triangle with an exclamation point inside of it.

 Keep out signs warn people about potential dangers in the warehouse and keep people away from the area. A keep-out sign will usually have a yellow circle with an exclamation point inside of it. No entry signs are similar to keep out signs but they restrict access for anyone.

 

Use bright color vests and hats

Bright color vests and hats are often used in the warehouse to improve security. This is because the person wearing them can be easily identified from a distance and all angles.

A lot of companies have started using this method to improve security in their warehouses. Make sure you get the brightest colors for your work clothing because it can matter in some dangerous situations. 

Install guardrails

Install guardrails to prevent forklifts from running off the edge of the warehouse floor. This is a low-cost solution that can be done in just a few hours.

Forklifts are an important asset for most warehouses, but they can also be a liability if they are not used properly. If you don’t install guardrails, it’s easy for forklifts to run off the edge of the warehouse floor and injure themselves or other workers.

 

Make sure you have proper lighting 

The warehouse itself is a large area and it has many blind spots. One way to improve security in the warehouse is to improve the lighting. This will make it easier for the guards to see what’s going on, and it will also make it easier for people to see where they are going.

The first step in improving warehouse security would be to identify which areas need more light. This can be done by looking at which areas are most often dark or where there have been recent incidents of theft or violence. Once these areas have been identified, lights should be added there first and then gradually throughout the rest of the space until every area has enough light.

 

There you have the best tips for improving your warehouse safety. Operating a forklift can cause many problems if not done correctly, so make sure you have proper lighting, safety signs, good training, and a lot of care.

 

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