5 Most Common Warehouse Safety Risks and How to Preempt Them

Warehouses can be hazardous working environments. OSHA doesn’t have dedicated regulations for these workplaces. However, the federal agency addresses warehousing hazards with specific standards for general industry and the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s General Duty Clause.

This clause requires employers to take reasonable steps to prevent or reduce recognized hazards that may cause employees serious physical harm or death. Noncompliance can result in one- or two-digit fines per willful violation, imprisonment or both.

Stay on the good side of regulators by crafting a safety policy targeting these five common risks.

1.     Material Handling Equipment Oversights

Forklifts can cause various safety incidents, resulting in property damage, severe injuries or worse. Many forklift accidents stem from operator incompetence — like speeding on dock plates.

However, disaster can still strike when a safety-conscious operator is behind the wheel. A poorly maintained machine can malfunction at any time. Pedestrians loitering at loading by accident can cause collisions. Obstructions can tip forklifts over and hurt operators.

Proper operator education is rule number one for preventing safety incidents involving forklifts. All aspiring operators must finish formal instruction, practical training, and an employer-led performance assessment, which only takes a few days to complete.

Observing proactive maintenance ensures prompt repairs and prevents equipment failures. Equipping forklifts with telematics devices to collect safety-related data — such as speed, braking pressure, trip distance and fuel consumption. Scheduling inspections based on these numbers instead of choosing specific dates regardless of usage can prevent untimely breakdowns.

Material handling equipment lessors typically offer maintenance and repair services for leased assets. These businesses may also assist in training operators.

Moreover, proper warning signage and other mechanisms for keeping unauthorized people away from loading docks and other common venues for accidents also help. The same goes for clearing pathways and edges.

2.     Musculoskeletal Disorders

These conditions refer to persistent pain in the skeleton and the muscles attached to it — including tendons and ligaments — negatively impacting workers’ dexterity and mobility. Hand laborers, material movers, warehouse associates, stockers and pickers with poor musculoskeletal health are more likely to be inefficient, call in sick, and file for insurance claims. The more chronic pain employees feel, the higher the chances of productivity loss, presenteeism and workers compensation insurance premium hikes.

Investing in proper equipment can ease the taxing nature of many warehousing tasks. Dressing workers with exosuits can lighten the load of lifting heavy items.

Contemporary designs have made these wearable devices more effortless to wear and less restrictive for bending and twisting — essential lateral movements for picking orders and building pallets. The exosuits optimized for warehouse operations can ease extensor muscular effort for an extended period, helping prevent sprains, strains and other back injuries.

Teaching workers safe lifting practices and proper posture, reducing case weights and furnishing the workplace with ergonomics in mind. For example, installing anti fatigue mats renders high-volume picking less strenuous.

3.     Slips, Trips and Falls

Few workplaces are more prone to slip, trip and fall accidents than warehouses. Warehousing facilities are usually hectic due to tight deadlines and pressure to manage inventory accurately and efficiently.

Mounting workloads can easily overwhelm many warehouse employees, jeopardizing safety for everyone. Anyone working in such a fast-paced environment can slip by walking on a slippery surface, trip over walkway clutter or fall by misusing a ladder.

Warehouse supervisors and inventory control managers should foster a culture of safety to sustain dynamic operations without endangering employees and compromising productivity. Management should make every effort to keep everyone safe — like organizing storage systems, prioritizing equipment maintenance or keeping aisle markings clear — to instill confidence in employees.

Warehouse workers can focus on tasks without apprehension when they don’t worry about their safety. Such a corporate culture can boost employee morale, increase job satisfaction and promote staff retention.

4.     Heavy Machinery Maintenance Mishaps

Automation can streamline warehousing. However, robots sometimes have minds of their own. These pieces of heavy machinery pose a risk to the maintenance crew when they unexpectedly come to life during inspection or repairs.

Robotic systems can adversely injure or inadvertently kill workers by releasing electricity or heat or suddenly moving while being serviced. A recent example was an incident involving a mechanical arm and a male employee of its manufacturer in South Korea.

Designed to transfer boxes of vegetables onto pallets, this machine grabbed the man — who was checking its problematic sensor that had pushed back its test run — and pressed his body against the conveyor belt after confusing him for a case, critically injuring his face and chest. The person died at a hospital.

This story shows that even robotics company employees are unsafe from the inherent risks of heavy machine maintenance. It’s unclear what exactly went wrong with the upkeep of the robotic arm. After all, the man was reportedly checking the machine late into the night when the incident happened.

The time-honored practice of lockout/tagout may prevent such accidents. This standard advises equipment maintenance workers to disconnect machines from their power sources before servicing them to control hazardous energy. However, some critics have called for the standard’s review — which came to light in 1989 — since advanced robotic systems have rendered it impractical at best and obsolete at worst.

When adopting automation in warehousing, collaborate with the chosen robotics company to develop an effective maintenance protocol. List the potential risks the machine may pose to anyone and identify ways to preempt worst-case scenarios.

5.     Heat-Related Illnesses

Warehouse workers in underinsulated facilities are highly susceptible to heat illness. Poor ventilation makes the situation worse. High humidity can throw a person’s body into overdrive to self-cool — a highly demanding task when performing arduous physical work.

The best solution to prevent heat-related illnesses in a warehouse is to climate-control the facility. Right-sized HVAC equipment conditions the indoor air, reducing temperature and humidity to desirable levels. Sufficient insulation slows heat transfer, allowing the HVAC system to operate smoothly.

New and returning workers need time to acclimatize themselves to the working conditions. Management can help these at-risk workers by increasing their workloads gradually and allowing them to take more frequent breaks.

Train the whole workforce to spot signs of heat illness, so they can report and assist those who may be exhibiting symptoms. Warehouses should have adequate first-aid supplies and personnel who can provide immediate medical attention to hyperthermic patients in a cool area.

Address Warehouse Safety Risks Proactively

Healthy workers are the lifeblood of any productive and efficient warehouse. Adopt precautionary measures to manage hazards and prevent life-threatening safety incidents successfully and consistently.