Neglected and uninspected warehouses are accident magnets. Thorough inspection of these facilities, therefore, is important especially if you are going to use the warehouse for the first time. While some companies adhere to the requirements for monthly inspections, others fail to do one final safety walkthrough or check.
Skipping a pre-commissioning inspection might seem reasonable at first glance. You use the warehouse right away and get right down to the business. A quick warehouse safety audit, however, could save you millions in lawsuits. This audit can provide you peace of mind knowing that you took measures to keep the work environment safe for you and your warehouse staff.
If you have not yet completed the safety walkthrough, now is the time to do it. When conducting the safety checks, make sure to keep an eye out for the following:
Electrical Fixtures and Appliances
Electrical circuits and fixtures are one of the greatest hazard points in any warehouse. The safety check you perform should make sure that the warehouse has zero hanging wires or fixtures. Loose wires are dangerous for workers, as they could accidentally trip over them or snag them during business operations.
Safety and Exit Signs
The size of a warehouse is large by default. Employees coming in to work in this facility for the first time can become lost. While losing your way doesn’t sound dangerous, this situation could be dangerous if your workers are trying to evacuate from the facility. On top of that, your business loses valuable minutes or hours of productivity if lost employees are unable to locate their workstations in a timely manner.
Proper warehouse signage is all you need to prevent employees from getting lost. Make sure that safety signs mark all high-risk areas. Additionally, there should be exit signs that direct traffic during an evacuation.
Go a step further and label aisles, workstations and storage points. This way, your employees can use a fixed map to navigate the warehouse to help them save time.
Fire Extinguishers
While good contractors will make sure that there is a fire extinguisher on various areas in a warehouse you still need to double check if you have adequate equipment required to fight and put out warehouse fires. If you find a fire extinguisher missing from its designated slot, get one for your facility as soon as possible.
Floor Elevation
Inspect the floors and make that they are consistent in terms of elevation. Unmarked, raised surfaces are a safety hazard, as they can cause people to trip.
Storage Shelves and Pallet Racks
When inspecting the floor, check the condition of fixtures like metal racks and storage shelves. Give them a little shake to determine their stability. The goal is to make sure that nothing will fall apart once you start using these important pieces of storage equipment.
At the end of the day, the safety of your employees is your responsibility. Before starting any kind of operation in your new warehouse, remember to do a walkthrough and resolve workplace hazards as soon as possible.