Employees working in a warehouse environment are often subject to demanding deadlines and timescales which can force them to work at their maximum ability for extended periods of time.
When this happens, there is often an increase of health and safety risks as employees push themselves to work harder and faster.
Ultimately they will reach a point where an injury could be sustained, and this could have expensive consequences for the company involved in the form of a compensation claim.
The most common type of accident in the workplace are slips, trips and falls – they are estimated to cost businesses a staggering £500 million every year. The irony is they can be easily eliminated with good health and safety practices.
The cause is usually down to water, oil or other liquid that has been spilled and not cleaned up correctly. Regular cleaning and reporting of spillages can help to reduce the risks here.
Manual handling injuries are a close second in the warehouse industry injuries list. This type of work can obviously be physically demanding at times and aches and pains are not uncommon.
Storage Platform Safety
More serious injuries can be avoided by maximising the use of machinery and other mechanical devices to take the strain away from the body, for example moving items using a pallet truck or trolley instead of lifting and carrying them.
The final common injury in warehouses relates to falls from a height – this can occur when an employee has to load goods onto tall racking for example. In modern times, machinery has been developed to negate the need for employees to work high up, but the relevant safety equipment should still be used to reduce the chances of an accident.
Ultimately it is the employee that has a responsibility to protect the health and safety of their staff at all times, educating them about the risks and ensuring they understand all safety protocols.
First Floors Mezzanine (UK) Ltd specialise in all aspects of mezzanine floors & flooring, including mezzanine floor design, manufacture and installation, suspended ceilings and partitioning.
