Here are a few ideas to keep your warehouse operating safely
Warehouse safety should be discussed with all warehouse employees. All new employees should be required to take warehouse safety training classes. This is to make sure all new workers are aware of the rules and safety regulations to follow while they are working. Horseplay and fooling around should not be tolerated. When you are doing any manual lifting it is important to follow basic lifting techniques. Train employees in how to lift is one of the most important warehouse safety training topics. Back injuries count for more than 50 percent of lost time and sick days in a warehouse. The docking area in a warehouse is probably the busiest area in the warehouse. It is where all products are delivered to, or sent from. It is necessary to make sure the docking area floors are clean at all times. One of the most important warehouse safety procedures is forklift safety. Forklifts are used everyday in warehouses all over. It is important that only forklift trained and certified employees operate them. They can be deadly if used incorrectly. All employees must be at least 18 years old in order to become forklift certified. Only employees certified to use a forklift should operate them. All warehouse workers should know where the first aid kits are located and have a basic knowledge of how to use them. They should also know where all fire extinguishers are and must be trained in fire safety. You should also have an evacuation plan in place.
It’s also important to note that OSHA requires all safety training materials and instruction to be presented in your employees’ primary language. For example, if your supervisors give day to day instructions to warehouse employees in Spanish, your OSHA training must also take place in that language.
The actual wording used in written materials must be plain and easy to understand as well. If you have employees who don’t readily comprehend written instructions, other media (video, audio, etc.) should be used.
Here’s the full OSHA training standard statement. Very interesting and informative stuff: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=25658
Daisy McCarty