Rack safety high on the agenda

A Health & Safety Executive investigation is underway and we do not wish to speculate on what the causes might have been. In fact, the issue is much bigger than one incident. There are thousands of such installations throughout the UK and we feel it is a good time for everyone responsible for rack safety to pause and think again about the racking in their warehouses and whether or not they have done all they can in terms of safety.

Here, we have SEMA president Matt Grierson offering advice that will serve as a valuable refresher to anyone managing a warehouse.

We salute the efforts of the rescue services whose skill and persistence led the trapped forklift operator to safety from the stricken warehouse.

That said, the actions of the fire and rescue services are not always seen as welcome by the logistics fraternity. This is particularly so on the issue of deploying sprinkler systems within warehouses. The fire service, alongside sprinkler manufacturers and suppliers, are advocating for more widespread compulsory use of sprinklers in logistics facilities. The logistics industry is resistant, arguing that there are many other ways to counteract fires than the expensive installation of sprinklers. 

We have the West Midlands Fire Service make its point that, in some circumstances, the Fire and Rescue Authorities could compel warehouse operators to install sprinklers.

These are the difficult but important issues we are seeking to tackle in our Safer Logistics Campaign. We want to help create a culture where people do not fear speaking up – whether they are workers in the warehouse who are concerned that a practice is unsafe, or a company that has suffered incidents or near misses. At the end of the day we are all in the same boat and we will only learn from mistakes by openly discussing them.

This month's Safer Logistics theme is Loading Bay Safety and the lead article is provided by logistics safety expert Ruth Waring FCILT, who looks at dock safety, with a specific focus on avoiding Drive-aways. She emphasises that communication is key to loading bay safety.

Furthermore, an interesting initiative of Ruth's company Labyrinth Consulting is its Safety Circle – which allows companies working in the logistics sector to talk openly and discuss safety concerns. The meetings operate under Chatham House Rules.