When you are selling goods online and have your own warehouse, you might not think about safety, as such, as you are not present on the premises. However, as a business owner, you will need to be compliant with current national and state regulations, in order to get your license renewed. Find out how you can improve and manage safety at your warehouse.
1. Safety Training
You will need to make sure that all your warehouse staff is trained adequately to do the job, and have updated health and safety information delivered to them. If you use an outsourcing agency for your international shipments and warehousing, it is important that you check the reputation of the firm, and ask for the details of the employees, their training, and their compliance record.
2. Security Equipment
You or your contractor will need to provide all warehouse workers with safety equipment to use when carrying out the work. From protective gloves to working boots and hard hats, depending on the work, you have to check the local requirements of compulsory equipment. If your warehouse is located overseas, you might want to go further than the local regulations, to protect your business reputation and avoid accidents.
3. Barriers
Protecting visitors and non-warehouse workers is also your responsibility. You can create barriers to allow other staff to safely pass through the warehouse. Check out Verge Safety Barriers, and implement them in your warehouse design, allowing people to be able to get through the warehouse or work on different projects, while forklifts are in operation.
4. Faulty Pallets
Faults and damaged goods, equipment can create a huge risk for your product supply chain. Make sure that there are adequate checks in place, so you can ensure all your products arrive at their destination in the best possible condition, and without spillage and breakage. Faulty pallets can reduce the stability of the load, and cause injuries for your staff, as well as financial loss. Have high standards for pallet and container quality communicated clearly with your contractors and suppliers, so you can avoid this problem.
5. Repetitive Motion Injuries
Warehouse staff, completing the picking and packaging tasks, often suffer from repetitive motion injuries, which can be easily prevented through medical assessments, workplace adjustments, and training. If your staff gets injured regularly, you will need to pay overtime or miss deadlines, risking your business reputation. Ergonomic workstations, floor mats, and regular breaks can help you prevent motion injuries at your warehouse.
Whether you manage your warehouse personally, or outsource the job to an overseas or local company, health and safety at work should be one of your first priorities. Make sure that you provide guidelines on training and put policies in place, so you can avoid accidents and injuries that can cost you huge settlements and your business reputation. Check the policies of your contractor, before you trust them with managing your goods and warehouse operations, and you can have a safe and effective supply chain that works for your business and your employees as well.
