Warehouses can be dangerous places unless owners and managers take safety seriously. By simply forming, following and enforcing a general safety checklist, you can make your warehouse a safer place for everyone.
Take a walk through your warehouse with the checklist below to perform a safety audit on your facility.
✔ Aisles used for foot or machine traffic are free of clutter, debris and spilled substances.
✔ Employees are equipped with proper safety equipment including hard hats, protective eyewear, earplugs, gloves, masks and footwear.
✔ Areas where machinery operates is separated by pedestrian barriers, crash barriers or bollards.
✔ The warehouse is well-ventilated.
✔ Emergency exits are clearly marked and evacuation maps are posted throughout the warehouse.
✔ First-aid kits, fire extinguishers, eyewash stations and defibrillators are easily accessible and clearly marked.
✔ Any areas where employees could fall more than four feet are roped or chained off, or somehow otherwise blocked.
✔ Stairs are accompanied by hand railings.
✔ A backup power source is in place.
✔ Weight limitations are clearly marked on anything used to carry or store inventory or equipment.
✔ All exits are easily accessible and kept free of objects.
✔ Work areas are properly illuminated.
✔ All equipment is regularly inspected and preventive maintenance is performed.
✔ Work schedules are set up to ensure all employees receive adequate breaks and time off between shifts.
✔ Hot, sharp or slippery surfaces are clearly marked as such.
✔ Machinery is shut off, out of the way and properly stored when not in use.
✔ Hazardous materials are properly sealed, stored and labeled.
✔ All employees operating machinery have been properly trained to do so.
✔ The overhead sprinkler system is in working order and not obstructed.
At McCue, our focus is making your warehouse a safer place to work. We provide asset protection solutions that prevent damage to your machinery, storage racks and your most valuable inventory — your employees.
Visit our catalog to see our full line of products and learn how to improve the safety of your warehouse today.
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Sources:
OSHA: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ventilation/solutions.html
Safety and Health Magazine: http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/10412-sleepy-and-unsafe-worker-fatigue
How Stuff Works: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/storing-hazardous-waste.htm