Warehouse safety is important.
It very well could be one of the most important elements to running an effective warehouse daily. That’s because a warehouse that takes a safety-first stance has employees that are well-trained in both safety precautions and how-to respond to a safety crisis.
If your warehouse is not already taking this stance, it should be. One way to start is by implementing daily operator checklists for all equipment usage.
Precaution Checklists
Daily safety checks should be done prior to any equipment usage each day. They should be completed by the operator that will be using the equipment or one of their supervisors.
These checks are important because they will determine if the equipment is in proper working order and not currently needing any type of maintenance or repairs before use can begin.
For example if you’re doing a safety check on your dock levelers, a few things you would want to check include visual checks for any damage like missing parts, rust, cracks, etc., an inspection of the hinge points for cracks, bends or obvious wear, and an inspection of the operating lever to make sure it’s in working order.
If anything appears out of the usual, it’s important to document these and bring them to the attention of your maintenance team prior to operating the equipment. That way it can be fixed prior to causing any harm.
Safety Training
While the operator checklist is the most important daily task anyone can do within their warehouse, ongoing safety training is a crucial element, as well. Safety training will allow managers to explain the importance of the daily checklist and cover what employees should be looking for during inspections.
Ongoing training will also assist in letting employees know what to do in the event of a safety issue happening, and it will also give managers an opportunity to continually give reminders of the importance of these steps on a daily basis.
What important precautions do you have listed on your safety checklists? What tips do you have for warehouses just starting to implement checklists? Let us know in the comments below!
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