Working in a warehouse is very different than working in an office, and ensuring your staff’s safety requires a different approach. There are several ways you can go about keeping your team safe while they’re at work, and keeping workplace injury rates as low as possible. Here are five ways to help ensure your employees are safe in the warehouse.

Stay organized

The more organized your warehouse is, the smoother your operations will go. Workers should know where to get specific items and how to stock others properly when new stock comes in. You can use floor markers or signs to guide employees around your facility. Being organized also means that there won’t be packages placed where they shouldn’t be, which can also prevent tripping hazards for employees.

Take steps to protect against slips and falls

Slips and falls in the workplace are some of the most common types of safety incident, and have been responsible for severe injury and even death in some cases, so you must protect your employees from this type of injury. You can install anti-slip mats around the warehouse, especially around entryways or where there might be some moisture on the floor. Make sure there are plenty of cones or flags around to mark spills as soon as they happen, and ensure everyone knows the proper procedure to cleaning up material on the floor.

Be proactive with forklift safety

Forklifts are responsible for thousands of injuries annually, many of which are entirely preventable. To keep your employees safe around forklifts, it’s imperative they have the proper training and certification needed for operating one. Additionally, you can install safety mirrors and forklift alert systems. These measures help alert employees to know when a forklift is close to them, so they may act accordingly. Additionally, the mirrors will help people see around corners so they don’t collide with a forklift accidentally.

Provide safety training

Please don’t assume that everyone on your team also knows the safety precautions they should take on the job. For instance, if your warehouse employees are lifting, twisting, climbing heights, etc., ensure they have been trained on proper techniques and know what safety equipment they need to help prevent injuries.

And remember, too, that training is not a one-time thing. Regular refresher training can help keep your employees from slipping into bad habits that could hurt them.

Encourage a culture of safety

A lot of workplace safety starts with employees taking it upon themselves to be aware of what’s happening and ensure the workplace is safe. Many workplaces will have a team of employees who volunteer to be on a committee for workplace safety. They will take charge of the tasks that need to be completed to ensure everyone is safe on the job and, if someone gets hurt, it is appropriately reported and handled.

Contact TeksMed today

While preventing injuries in your warehouse should always be your first priority, you may sometimes require disability management or return-to-work services. This is where TeksMed can help you. Contact us today to learn more.