Warehouse Safety, Hazards, Checklist, Tips, Manual, Topics

A warehouse safety checklist enables managers to identify safety hazards throughout the warehouse and correct them quickly and efficiently. When you combine this checklist with daily inspections, you reduce the likelihood of a workplace injury dramatically.

Knowing some basic warehouse safety tips will save your company and your employees a lot of grief. Here are some you can implement today:

1. Ensure all forklift operators and trained and certified by a credible source
2. Ensure all materials are stacked so they do not present a hazard
3. Ensure that all walkways, exits, and entryways are not obstructed by materials
4. Do not allow employees to manually lift items over 30lbs
5. Ensure that all chemicals are properly stored to prevent fire and explosion
6. Ensure that air quality is not compromised by gas or diesel powered lift trucks
7. Require employees to wear hi-vis safety vests
8. Control access to areas where lift trucks will be operating for an extended amount of time
9. Utilize cones and engineering tape to control traffic and route them away from any identified hazards

A warehouse safety manual contains information for management and employees that help establish basic requirements for safe operations in the warehouse environment. Topics such as forklifts, slips trips falls, ladders, safety vests, and more should be covered in the manual, as well as other relevant hazards that are present in your specific warehouse setting or operation. Our warehouse safety manual does this very well.

Warehouse safety topics might include the same information your safety manual contains. For example, forklifts, slips, trips, falls, ladders, safety vests, etc. You can find a library of safety meeting topics that include warehouse specific topics such as our own safety meeting topics library, which you can download and use instantly.

Some warehouse safety ideas you can use to improve workplace safety in your warehouse include:

1. Perform new hire safety orientations to explain the importance of safety
2. Perform quarterly reviews with employees to check safety performance
3. Conduct routine safety meetings to keep safety fresh on everyone's mind
4. Ensure that all forklift operators are certified and re-certified as required
5. Conduct daily visual inspections of the warehouse and operations and correct any hazards right away

Safety posters are powerful safety communication tools. Find warehouse safety posters that matter to your organization and bring awareness to employees about specific safety issues in your warehouse. Here are some good warehouse safety posters we like.

Some of the main hazards associated with warehouse operations are as follows:

1. Forklift hazards
2. Falling objects
3. Slips, trips, and falls
4. Falls from ladders
5. Cuts and abrasions from hand tools

Of course, this list can be longer if you have other hazards in your warehouse.

When it comes to warehouse safety training. The most important training to prioritize is forklift (also known as lift truck or powered industrial truck) training. The reason is that forklifts cause more serious injuries in warehouses than any other hazard. You should make it the top priority to ensure all forklift operators are "certified" by a credible training organization and ensure that they are re-certified every 3 years or however often the requirements in your jurisdiction demand.

Here is some very important information from OSHA on forklifts: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/poweredindustrialtrucks/.