Like most business premises, it is vital to ensure that health and safety is given a priority in the warehouse environment.  Most injuries or instances of occupational ill health in the warehousing setting are caused by:

• Slips and Trips
• Manual Handling
• Working at Height
• Vehicles
• Moving or Falling Objects.

There may be other hazards to consider in your specific warehouse and storage premises.  However, in this article, we�ll examine the main 5 causes of injury:

Slips and Trips
Accidents and incidents caused by slips and trips are a common problem within warehousing.  Almost all trips and slips can be avoided if the proper care is taken.  Slips occur when a walking surface becomes wet.  To avoid slips, ensure that any floor contamination is immediately cleaned up.

Trips occur when objects are placed at floor level or employees are asked to walk on uneven surfaces.  In the warehouse environment, trip hazards can be caused by banded strapping loops, pallets and discarded waste packaging.  To prevent trips, you must ensure that all the foot traffic routes in your warehousing and storage facilities are well lit and kept free of items that obstruct these pathways.

Manual Handling
Despite a heavy focus on improving manual handling skills in the workplace, people still suffer from many back and neck problems from poor lifting technique in the warehousing industry.  If there is any risk of a problem caused by manual handling, then the task should be avoided until the risk can be minimised.  Any staff member that will be routinely handling should be properly trained.  Staff that may be in the warehouse environment but do not regularly lift or handle may also need training to avoid incident.

Working at Height
In the warehouse, there is often a risk associated with working at height.  Any instance when work needs to be carried out at height must be properly supervised.  Ladders should be avoided if possible when used without a harness.  Only approved methods of working at height should be employed in the warehouse and staff must be cautioned against climbing pallets and using unapproved and potentially dangerous ways of working at height.

Vehicles
Vehicles present considerably health and safety risk in the warehouse and storage environment.  From forklifts to articulated trucks, it is important to take extreme care.  The adequate management of all moving vehicles must be correctly handled.  To ensure pedestrian safety, all drivers must be aware of potential hazards and any foot traffic routes.  There should always be a separate route for foot traffic and moving vehicles.  Most vehicle-related accidents occur when a vehicle is reversing or being driven backwards.

Moving or Falling Objects
Proper care and attention must be given to avoid people being injured by falling objects.  Minimise incidences by ensuring that objects are firmly strapped and never placed in positions where they may fall.  Warehouse staff must be aware of how the racking and shelving units work so that objects do not accidentally fall from their housing through misuse.