All workplaces pose dangers to employees. Office employees risk experiencing carpal tunnel from long days of typing. Hairdressers risk developing foot problems from standing all day. And your warehouse employees risk exposure to chemicals, equipment accidents, and falls. While you can’t completely eliminate these risks, there are ways to improve employee safety in your warehouse to reduce them.
Promote Training and Awareness
Employee safety starts on the first day. You must provide proper training on all the equipment and materials that your new employees will use during their shifts. And you shouldn’t overlook existing, experienced employees either. You don’t want to bore them with the same training as new employees, but you must keep them safe. Provide them with more detailed training courses, as well as leadership and first aid training. Employees should undergo such training courses once a year.
In addition to these specific workplace trainings, you should mandate fire safety drills as well as any other weather safety drills. Extreme weather does not stop while your warehouse is in operation, so these drills are an important part of employee safety.
Optimize Working Conditions
Training will go a long way in promoting safety in your warehouse. However, this training is only as good as the work environment you provide. Without a safe work environment, your employees cannot adequately perform the work and safety precautions you trained them in. Your employees are worth the extra cost of improving ventilation and lighting systems. Making these improvements is one practical way to engage with blue-collar workers so that they feel appreciated and want to come to work every day.
Provide Required Personal Protective Equipment
The Occupational Safety and Heath Administration (OSHA) requires most employers to provide the personal protective equipment (PPE) employees need to perform their job. Some employers try to save money and ask employees to bring their own equipment. However, this means that there is no standard for PPE in the workplace. Without standard equipment, employees may struggle to work together.
For example, your warehouse employees need hi-vis gear to meet OSHA requirements. Hi-vis gear can come in various colors, such as yellow and pink. Some of these colors may blend into corners more easily than others, even with the hi-vis markings. This could lead an employee driving a piece of equipment to accidentally run into and injure another employee.
You should always prioritize employee safety in your warehouse. There are many ways to improve safety, but the three we listed above are good starting points. The more efforts you make to improve your warehouse, the happier your employees will feel. Happy employees will stay at your company longer, which helps your business thrive.
