It pays to be safe says Impact Handling

All employees should have basic health and safety training and be fully aware of what to do in an emergency. So my number one tip is:

1 Training and awareness
It is important to keep staff training up-to-date and hold frequent refresher courses. It is also vital that any machinery operators, whether they’re driving a forklift truck or operating a pallet stacker are fully trained on the machine they are using – taking the time to implement training for operators on a new piece of kit is a great way to limit unnecessary accidents.

2 Traffic flow
Incidents involving machines colliding with one another, or people, are some of the most common forms of accidents in warehouses, but they can be easily avoided. Marking out a clear traffic route which forces vehicles to only travel in one direction, means operators know exactly where they should be driving and pedestrians know to stay away from the clearly marked lanes.

3 Stack safely
It may sound basic but overloading shelves can cause serious accidents in warehouses and many injuries are caused when badly stacked racks collapse or loads topple over. Ensure all shelving is securely loaded, with the heaviest products at the bottom. It is also essential to regularly check the pallets used for stacking, removing any damaged ones immediately.

4 Ready to reverse?
Warehouses are by nature noisy environments, so fitting reverse warning sirens via the direction switch, is a simple way to alert people a machine is moving backwards and avoid unwanted bumps.

5 Choose the right truck
Picking a truck that has optimum safety features is a smart way to ensure safety measures are met in your warehouse. Cat Lift Trucks’ electric forklifts have a unique auto park brake, which means as soon as the driver leaves the machine the brakes come on. All Cat lift trucks also feature operator presence systems, so unless a driver is sitting on the seat correctly the truck will not operate. The system also alerts the driver when the handbrake has been left on or it’s left in gear.

6 Outside issues
Making sure yard spaces are safe is as important as keeping the inside of a warehouse in top condition. Uncovered drains and kerbs can contribute to unwanted accidents, so it is essential to erect barriers and have designated areas for workers to operate in.

7 Eyes in the back of your head
Unfortunately we don’t have eyes in the back of our heads, so we have to rely on rear view mirrors to help us avoid potential hazards when reversing machinery. Fitting 360o rear view mirrors helps aid operator visibility and gives us that ‘extra pair of eyes we need’.

8 Simple signage
With a lot of activity taking place in a warehouse daily, clear and eye-catching signs are a great way to remind workers to stay safe in the work place. From prompting drivers to slow down to warning of hazardous products on site, simple signs are a simple method to keep a warehouse accident-free.

9 Keep watch
CCTV is a good way of keeping an eye on how your operation is running and can be crucial for picking up bad habits that can lead to accidents. Warehouse managers can’t be in all parts of their business at one time, so monitoring the warehouse activity helps see where potential problems can lie and stop these from turning into future incidents.

10 Site surveys
At Impact Handling we not only manage our own warehouses but we frequently attend customers’ sites to survey the environment their new trucks will be working in, ensuring they have the right machine for the job. If a customer has particularly narrow working aisles lined with rows and rows of stacking, they will ultimately need a narrow truck to fit into their operation. By completing a free full site audit we’re able to assess which trucks are best suited not only for the job but the site too.