When it comes to warehouse safety, common sense is a subjective term that gets tagged onto several do‘s & don’t; unfortunately blurring the lines of what is safe and unsafe are causing many avoidable warehouse accidents and fatalities per year.
“Warehouse inspection & maintenance is a critical step to ensure the consistent functionality of your operation and safety of your assets and employees. It helps minimise the number and severity of warehouse accidents,” commented Elias Najem, SPAN’s Customer Service Manager. “Raising awareness on safety & potential risks associated with the negligence of proper implementation & enforcement of safety measures across the different areas of a warehouse is crucial. These range from the consideration of steel standards to the detailed facility design which includes the storage solutions, retrieval and storage systems, loading docks, material handling equipment, automation, as well as flooring specifications.”
Our role is to provide our customers with proactive and reactive post implementation support, ensuring the highest levels of safety while minimising interruptions. In the case of a reactive scenario, an employee would have observed and reported a safety problem or system damage which directly triggers an ‘expert’ inspection following the SEMA guidelines for damage classification, using Red, Yellow, and Green risk categories. On the other hand, during the course of the proactive Rack Safety Inspection Program (RSIP), our SEMA Approved Rack Inspector (SARI) visits the premises at agreed intervals, to thoroughly examine the functionality and safety of the premise and structural soundness of the systems. This results in a detailed written report that highlights observations and proposals for any necessary action.
Safety procedures are frequently disregarded in a variety of workplaces due to insufficient time, inadequate resources, or an opportunity to cut corners in an attempt to save money. Warehouses are unfortunately no exception, with employees being asked to fulfil a larger number of orders in less time. “It is no surprise that when safety procedures are soundly implemented, there are major benefits such as higher employee satisfaction as well as increased productivity. By minimising the risk of injury, fewer workplace disruptions take place and absenteeism associated with accidents is also drastically reduced” added Elias.
