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OSHA Warehouse Safety Guidelines

Follow the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) warehouse safety guidelines to ensure your warehouse is taking the proper precautions. The warehousing industry comes with many hazards. In fact, OSHA says the rate of fatal injuries is higher in warehousing than in other industries. Learn the risks and always make safety the centerpiece of your operations.

OSHA Warehouse Safety Guidelines

General OSHA Safety Guidelines for Warehouses

For warehouse workers’ general safety, OSHA offers the following general guidelines:

  1. Ensure that your warehouse is well ventilated
  2. Implement proper lockout/tagout procedures
  3. Block off exposed or open loading dock doors and any area where an employee could fall more than four feet
  4. Clear floors, aisles and surfaces of any hazards that could cause trips, slips or falls
  5. Train employees on how to work safely in both hot and cold conditions
  6. Teach new employees proper ergonomics—for general use and specific tasks
  7. Make sure employees who perform physical tasks receive periodic rest breaks
  8. Consider proper work practices when determining how long it takes for an employee to complete a task

Common Warehouse Safety Hazards and How to Avoid Them

Along with the general safety guidelines, OSHA lists common warehouse citations and their solutions, including those in the table below:

 

Citation

Solutions

Forklifts
  • Train and certify forklift operators
  • Establish safe operating procedures

Hazard Communication
  • Maintain a Material Data Safety Sheet (MSDS)
  • Teach employees the risks of chemicals and how to properly store them

Electric Wiring Methods
  • Provide ground fault circuit interrupters
  • Implement an assured equipment grounding conductor program

Respiratory Protection
  • Supply employees with personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Train employees on how to care for their PPE

Fall Hazards
  • Install a “fall restraint” system, like guardrails and railings
  • Install a “fall arrest” system, like safety nets

For a complete list of hazards and their solutions, check out OSHA’s pocket guide to warehousing. 

McCue Can Help You Create a Safer Warehouse

McCue offers material handling products for warehouses that can withstand the toughest conditions. Contact us to learn more. Check out our blog to see examples of McCue products in action.  

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Sources:

OSHA: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/3220_Warehouse.pdf

About: http://logistics.about.com/od/qualityinthesupplychain/a/warehouse_safe.htm

Did you know that there are 23,000 on the job injuries every day, in the United States alone? Or that damage from forklift collisions often requires multiple, expensive repairs?

Download this guide to learn about ways to prevent these incidents and the consequences of failing to act.

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