The most common types of accident
Are you familiar with the most common types of accidents in a warehouse? Unfortunately, this working environment can often be the site of certain industrial incidents. A large part of these are caused by the use of internal transportation vehicles. However, there are more risks to consider. The most common types of warehouse accident are:
Accidents involving moving vehicles
Accidents involving moving vehicles are the most common type of warehouse accident. In most cases, pedestrians will not have been seen. This may be due to driver inattention or an excessively large load, resulting in a lack of complete visibility. However, there is another important cause: pedestrians walking through the warehouse in an unorganised manner. For example, does your warehouse have any designated pedestrian walkways?
To ensure that staff know exactly where they are and are not allowed to walk or drive transportation vehicle, you can use safety barriers or floor markings. Create clear driving and walkways, use speed bumps to reduce speed and place warning stickers to alert employees.
Falling goods
An accident is often in a small corner. Warehouses, wholesalers and other storage areas are often very busy and overfilled. Companies try to make these spaces as efficient as possible, which can lead to products not always being safely stored. The infrastructure of a warehouse therefore plays an important role in the safety of the working environment. Shelving is often placed close together to save space, and often these shelves are not sturdy enough, increasing the risk of falling products. Collisions with scaffolding and instability increase the risk of falling products. To minimise these risks, you can install protection guards or shelving protection. With these, you can protect your goods, while also alerting employees to potential dangers.
In addition to goods falling off shelves, workers are also at risk from falling forklift loads. For example, the cargo may be incorrectly stacked, or it may start to slide during transportation. It is therefore important that any drivers have a forklift certificate, meaning they know how to handle a forklift responsibly and are aware of the potential dangers. Safety first!
Employers have to provide clear workplace instructions and protective equipment, including helmets, safety shoes and work gloves, thereby allowing warehouse workers to go about their work safely.
Slips and falls
Warehouses often have a lot of (packaging) materials lying around, which can result in certain hazardous situations. Given that warehouses often work with packaging materials, it is a working environment where many falls can occur. While slips or falls may sound like a minor incidents, these can have devastating consequences. Both can be prevented with the implementation of safety shoes. These often offer greater stability and do not pose a danger when walking on contaminated, slippery floors.
Areas of increased risk in a warehouse
In addition to accidents caused by collisions, falling products and falls, there are other dangers to be aware of. Many of these accidents often occur in the same locations. Every employer should carefully assess all risks within the workplace. These are then recorded in a Risk Inventory & Evaluation (RI&E) with a Plan of Action. But what are the most dangerous places in a warehouse? While every sector faces its own specific hazards, there are certain safety risks that often recur. The biggest 'risk hotspots' are listed below:
Loading docks
There is always plenty of activity around a loading dock. Lorries and forklift trucks are always coming and going, warehouse workers are always walking around, and all this activity can pose numerous risks. Think, for example, of lorries wanting to drive off while loading and unloading is still in progress, or of vehicles (accidentally) driving into the loading dock while people are still there.
Shelving
Shelving units are a part of virtually any warehouse and production environment, often used for storing goods. As already addressed in the first part of this article, the main dangers here are posed by collisions and falling goods. These risks can be reduced with good instructions, increased awareness and collision protection.
Crossings, footpaths and lanes
Between rows of shelving are several corridors where pedestrians and vehicles are able to move about. In some instances, they can intersect, leading to potentially dangerous situations whereby collisions may occur. One of the most common workplace accidents in the warehouse. There are, however, fairly simple solutions for this. Provide clear visibility using safety mirrors, use traffic signs and pictograms and give clear instructions to your workers, repeating them as much as is necessary.
Given the presence of both pedestrians and transportation vehicles within the warehouse, accidents can occur at any time. To avoid collisions, it is therefore best to keep walking and driving lanes separate from one another. Mark these lanes with floor markings or demarcations and instruct personnel to wear reflective clothing.
Business parks
One major, but often overlooked risk hotspot is the business park. This, after all, is a place where all types of traffic come together, from pedestrians to forklifts and vans to large lorries. Collisions are equally the most common type of accident within these locations, not only involving pedestrians, but also between vehicles. It is, therefore, also important to give clear direction within business parks by drawing up traffic plans, ensuring that rules are easy to understand and clearly marking out designated parking, loading and unloading areas.
Want to make your warehouse safer?
A safe working environment starts with both the employees and you yourself. However, how can you ensure that employees help maintain safety within the warehouse? Increase their involvement and demonstrate the importance of safety within the warehouse. This step starts with you. If you want your employees to work in a safety-conscious manner, you need to lead by example. This is the first step, making sure that the working environment enables employees to work in complete safely.
It is important for employees to be involved in safety policy, as valued and heeded opinion can create more safety awareness within the workplace. Therefore, it is advisable to involve them in the development of safety measures, which will ultimately result in a clean and safe working environment. It may be helpful to use a consistent method to facilitate this. A standardised and systematic approach is paramount and will ensure that rules are complied with and the desired working environment is maintained.
How can Kruizinga.nl help you in this regard?
Want to know more about the risks involved in and around warehouses? We would be happy to assist you in identifying any risks and find suitable solutions. Get in touch with our specialists on +31 (0)88 533 1555 or email us at info@kruizinga.nl.
