Health and Safety in Factories and Warehouses
Meeting health and safety requirements in factories and warehouses can be challenging. When a site operates machinery, has forklifts and moving vehicles, plus employees on the floor there is potential for major injuries to occur. Measures to minimise the risk of injury from falling objects; slips, trips and falls and moving vehicles, need to be implemented. And of course fire safety also needs to be considered.
However, with the correct safety procedures in place, clear fire safety signs and health and safety line markings, you can minimise risk and help to keep everyone safe.
HSE has a wealth of information on how to keep the workplace safe, including this guide to workplace transport safety for employers.
Did you know that every year approximately 50 people are killed and 5,000 more are injured in accidents involving workplace transport?
Source: HSE website
Ensuring top-tier warehouse health and safety
Factory and warehouse workers are at risk of a variety of injuries, from slips and falls to exposure to hazardous materials. That’s why it’s so important for businesses to have a comprehensive health and safety program in place.
A good health and safety program should include the following elements:
- Risk assessment
- Control measures
- Safe work practices
- Equipment inspection
- Accident investigation
By following these steps, businesses can create a safe working environment for their employees.
Specific health and safety concerns for factories and warehouses
In addition to the general hazards that all workplaces face, factories and warehouses have some specific industrial health and safety concerns.
These include:
- Machinery: Factories and warehouses often use heavy machinery, which can pose a serious risk of injury if it is not used properly.
Moving vehicles: Warehouses often have forklifts and other moving vehicles, which can also cause injuries. - Hazardous materials: Factories and warehouses may use or store hazardous materials, such as chemicals or flammable liquids. These materials can pose a serious health risk if they are not handled properly.
- Slips, trips, and falls: Factories and warehouses often have uneven floors, which can increase the risk of slips, trips, and falls.
How can you optimise your health and safety needs?
There are a number of things that businesses and health and safety executives can do to meet the legal requirements for health and safety. These include:
- Develop a comprehensive health and safety program: The program should include the elements listed above.
- Provide training to employees: Employees need to be trained in safe work practices, this can include dealing with hazardous substances and learning the importance of personal protective equipment.
- Regularly inspect equipment: Equipment should be inspected to ensure that it is in safe working condition reducing the risks of injury.
- Investigate accidents: Accidents should be investigated to identify the root cause of the problem and to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future
- Implement correct signage and floor line markings: Floor marking and correct signage is the safest way to keep workload moving across the warehouse/factory floor.
Fire safety marking and signage
Having the correct signage in place that is clear to see and easy to understand can be the difference between life and death. Fire safety is a massive part of warehouse health and safety, clearly marked fire escapes and fire safety signage are vital for minimising risk of injury or death in the event of a fire.
Our customers and clients usually know the health and safety line markings they want to have installed or refreshed, and we often make recommendations during site visits or when we are discussing line marking work.
We are passionate about health and safety in the workplace and ensuring businesses have the best markings they can to help reduce the rates of workplace accidents and injuries. If you’re in need of new markings, a refresh of old and worn markings or you need to change your markings contact us for a no obligation free quote.
