The storage and racking within a warehouse are often overlooked as a potential OH&S issue. Forklift collisions with a racking structure are common in warehouses. So this means that careful attention should be paid to navigating a forklift. Especially when moving in and out of aisles and between racks. It is a recommendation of the Australian Standards AS4084-2012 that your warehouse racking should be inspected annually.

The storage and racking within a warehouse are often overlooked as a potential OH&S issue. Forklift collisions with a racking structure are common in warehouses. So this means that careful attention should be paid to navigating a forklift. Especially when moving in and out of aisles and between racks. It is a recommendation of the Australian Standards AS4084-2012 that your warehouse racking should be inspected annually.

Often warehouse training to staff is overlooked or skipped to save time and money. It's important to be aware that this can cost the business more in the long run if an accident or injury did occur. Any untrained staff is a serious hazard to not only themselves but the others within the warehouse. Without the correct training, a warehouse cannot perform at its max potential. As well as it may not be able to run as smoothly as possible. Within your warehouse, all staff should know the role they play in safety. Safety within your warehouse should always be a concern and safety briefings should be regular.

A fire hazard is one of the most overlooked dangers within a warehouse. A fire can have a devastating effect on your business if one started in your warehouse. Although a potential danger there is preventative measures that can be taken to avoid the risk of a fire outbreak. For example, these include:

obtaining a building permit,
have the building exits clearly marked out,
fire extinguishers inaccessible places,
avoiding leaving exposed wires out
and correctly storing flammable liquid

There are always objects that are stacked within a warehouse, whether it be on the ground or off. This then creates the potential OH&S danger of a falling object. To avoid a serious injury ensure that all heavy loads are stacked neatly. This means that they are not likely to shift. Any objects that are a cylindrical shape are best to be stacked the correct way up to avoid them rolling around.

This may not be applicable to all warehouses, although it is a serious OH&S issue. It's a serious concern if your business is storing asbestos or any other harmful material that it's corrected stored. Any flammable, corrosive or explosive goods can be stored in the correct dangerous goods cabinets. If any employee member raises a concern about a potentially harmful material it is best to get it inspected by a third party. It is the managers and directors role to ensure that all staff is safe within the workplace.

This may not be applicable to all warehouses, although it is a serious OH&S issue. There is heavy equipment present in the majority of the warehouses, a common one is a forklift. It's very easy for the drivers of the heavy equipment to get used to using it.

In addition to getting extremely comfortable using the equipment. Although this may seem like it's increasing the productivity within your warehouse. It could also mean that the dangers of these machines go forgotten.

It is the role of the business owner or operations manager to ensure that all staff working within the warehouse are aware of the potential dangers. All staff needs to be extremely careful and cautious when controlling the heavy equipment.

Did you know that every year in Australia 29 workers dies because of falling from a height? Many warehouses have storage and or a racking structure within it. All warehouse employees should be aware of the potential fall areas. Staff will have to be trained to spot the potential falling areas. As well as the warehouse will need to be regularly checked.

In order to avoid any catastrophe involving a fall ensure that the correctly sized PPE gear is available. Ensure to regularly inspect this gear and remove any that are damaged. In some cases, the best option may be to implement fall protection equipment this could be a platform that has a standard railing or a swing gate in front of a fixed ladder.

Ergonomics is the process of designing and arranging a workspace, product or system so that it fits with the person who is using it. Within a warehouse, all workstations and packing or picking benches should take into account all staff requirements. It is the responsibility of the company to constantly update employees with the correct procedures of doing things. As a result of this, it will mean there are no unnecessary injuries.

A slip or trip in a warehouse is one of the most common OH&S issues. It happens a lot and can go unreported. In order to prevent a slip or trip a lot of things need to be kept in mind when checking through the warehouse for the potential slipping hazards.
The main causes of a slip or trip within a warehouse include:

poor housekeeping,
inadequate lighting,
cables and wires,
wet floors,
unsuitable floor coverings,
and unnecessary bumps and steps.