6 Vital Warehouse Safety Tips during the Pandemic
Warehouses are an integral part of any business, but if not well managed, they can be hazardous to the employees. Companies must regularly assess and improve warehouse environment to facilitate employees’ safety, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. Both in terms of minimizing the spread of the virus and keeping everyone safe, a properly run warehouse can help boost productivity. This article highlights six vital warehouse safety tips that can be helpful during the pandemic period.
Maintain Cleanliness
In response to the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided various guidelines to help keep the virus at bay. Some of the recommendations include regular cleaning or sanitizing of most used areas, and hands. This guideline is particularly helpful in your warehouse. Given the fact that the nature of work in the warehouse involves touching of surfaces, ensure you encourage employees to maintain high hygienic standards. They should regularly sanitize their hands, footwear as well as surfaces to keep themselves safe. Similarly, for those warehouses that deal with highly hazardous materials, they should ensure the materials are properly marked and stored to minimize the risk of spillage.
Regular Inspection
Sometimes it’s in human nature to assume things. No matter how well you’ll explain the situation to your workers, with time, they may become reluctant to observe the necessary safety measures. That is why it’s crucial to check regularly and inspects the condition of your warehouse to be sure everything is running as it should. Regular checks can also help you identify those areas that need repairs and replacing. You can also use this time to remind your employees about the importance of staying safe during this time.
Identify all Hazards
With so many equipment and tools in the warehouse, the environment can dangerous if not well run. So it can help if you identify potential hazards and problems within the working area. Check out places or equipment that may cause simple accidents such as slip, trip and fall. Look out for dangling electricity cables or equipment standing in an awkward position that can fall and hit someone. Similarly, ensure you identify all those areas that are mostly used by workers so as they can be cleaned regularly to ensure everybody remains safe.
Regular Training
Regular employee training is essential to facilitate efficiency and boost productivity. Trained employees tend to obey the set working rules and are responsible for their actions, unlike the untrained ones. Training enhances flexibility in that employees can easily adapt to any arising changes and also keep up with the latest trends. Additionally, Training can help them know how to respond to emergencies, accidents, as well as avoid unsafe practices. Trained employees are well informed of their environment and are better for your business.
Keep a Safe Social Distance within the Warehouse
In addition to regular sanitizing, keeping a social distance is another way to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Observing social distance helps reduce the chances of human to human contact, which otherwise increase the risk of spreading the virus. The government has provided a recommendable distance that people should keep. It’s also crucial to provide your employees with adequate space to ensure they observe the directive.
Split Teams and Ensure Workers Take Sick Leave
Health authorities warn that coronavirus is highly contagious, and spread between human to human contact. This means that if one employee is infected, he/she can potentially affect many others. That is why it’s vital to split your workers into teams to help reduce the spread in the warehouse. The split teams should also be consistent with reducing the risk of transmission. You should also ensure that workers take staggering breaks to discourage gatherings. Most importantly if you notice anyone in the warehouse is experiencing symptoms; ensure you advise them to stay home to help protect the rest of the workforce from transmissions.