Your warehouse is a bustling place filled with people doing various jobs — many involving heavy machinery. This, combined with the work’s physical nature, makes warehouses potentially dangerous if proper safety precautions aren’t taken.
As one of the top warehouse staffing agencies in Lehigh Valley, PA, HTSS, Inc. cannot emphasize enough the importance of following critical procedures and practices to prevent injury. Your workers are your company’s greatest asset, and they deserve to have an employer who takes every possible precaution to keep them safe on the job.
Think your safety standards could use an update? Use these tips to enhance your current protocols.
Four Standards to Improve Warehouse Safety
Properly Train All Workers During Orientation
When your warehouse team is short-staffed, it can be tempting to minimize training in an effort to get people on the floor. However, this is something that should never happen.
Providing each new worker with in-depth training on how to do their jobs and following your warehouse safety measures can prevent accidents that cause serious injury — or even death. Plus, requiring new employees to attend training sessions clarifies that safety is a top priority at your warehouse, which will inspire them to take these measures seriously.
Keep the Warehouse Neat and Orderly
Like any workplace, a warehouse can quickly become untidy if proper housekeeping techniques aren’t enforced. This can create a variety of hazards that increase the chances of injury.
For example, blocked or messy aisleways can easily cause workers to slip and fall. Obstructed pathways are also dangerous in the case of an emergency — i.e., a fire — so all walkways need to be kept free and clear.
Teach Workers Proper Lifting Techniques
Heavy lifting is part of the job for many warehouse employees, so they need to know how to do it right. This is something that should be taught both in orientation and regularly reinforced throughout their employment, as people often develop poor habits over time.
Failing to adhere to proper lifting techniques can cause workers to injure themselves and their colleagues, so enforcing correct strategies cannot be emphasized enough. Pains and strains due to poor lifting techniques and bad posture can last a lifetime — and you don’t want that for your workers.
Regularly Review Your PPE Policy
Personal protective equipment is a cornerstone of warehouse safety. No doubt, you have plenty of it, but it’s important to make sure your PPE policy is always updated to serve your team best.
Review it regularly to make sure it supports both new initiatives taken on by your warehouse and the volume of workers present. It’s also important to ask workers for input, as they’re the ones actually using the PPE daily. Safety is a team effort, and that includes making sure PPE is doing its job.
Searching for warehouse workers who take safety seriously? HTSS, Inc. is here to help you find new team members committed to following the rules. Contact us today to get started!