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Safety Guide Warehouses - tcm636 80929 PDF
Safety Guide Warehouses - tcm636 80929 PDF
warehouses
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Contents
01.Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
02.Warehouse design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
04.Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
[1]
It is always risky to attempt an in-depth discussion of truction of goods or warehousing facilities, damage to
such a wide-ranging issue as warehouse safety mana- corporate image and loss of customers and earnings.
gement. This is particularly true when, as is the case
with this guide, the aim is to provide a comprehensive For insurance and reinsurance companies, in most
study of the general problems found at these facilities. cases loss events in warehouses constitute evidence of
the vulnerability of this type of facilities and, indeed, it
Among all the risks to which a warehouse is exposed, has been shown that a warehouse fire generally results
fire is the one which normally has the gravest conse- in complete destruction of the facilities. The rising trend
quences, although it is by no means the only one that and increasing importance of warehouse loss events has
must be taken into account. It is also important to forced the insurance sector to revise policy conditions
consider a number of other risks, including merchan- traditionally offering excessively favourable terms for
dise theft, illegal entry with criminal intent, environ- warehouses compared to those for production facilities.
mental risk caused by poor warehouse management
and even damage caused by the forces of nature. The objective of this guide is to provide assistance to the
reader in identifying the general risks faced by all parties
In view of this, the protection and complete safety of involved in complete warehouse safety management.
warehouses constitutes a growing concern not only for
their owners, but also for insurance and reinsurance As a result, the guide facilitates decision-making aimed
companies. For the former, both direct and indirect los- at mitigating or anticipating potential losses by elimina-
ses may be incurred as a result of an accident. Some of ting or controlling risks and by implementing preventati-
the consequences faced in such cases include the des- ve and corrective measures. In short, this guide will pro-
vide an effective tool for warehouse risk management.
[3]
Admissible loads on floors and storage structures.
Deposit Receipt and holding of Finished product in Books, cosmetics, Maximum storage Tends to involve Automatic shuttle Companies providing
warehouses merchandise owned by temporary storage. pharmaceutical capacity compatible storage at great carriage for internal storage, transport and
a third party. Many items in small products, etc. with the required heights with narrow pallet movement. distribution of
amounts with frequent availability of goods in aisles. Saw-tooth Automatic retrieval merchandise, such as
dispatching. storage. Computerised (zigzag) loading bays equipment and couriers or carriers.
control of loads and for use by a fleet of conveyor belts. Own
spaces. Located near lorries. lorry fleet providing a
large urban centres. service for the clients.
Logistics Grouping and Goods owned by the Drinks, clothes, etc. Requiring rapid Pallets stored at a Forklift trucks able to Large companies
warehouses distributing goods at company. docking, unloading and height of 2 to 4, wide move large pallets and requiring warehouses
strategic geographical loading. Warehouse aisles allowing forklifts the use of automated located between the
locations to enable capacity must remain to pass one another. systems. Lorry fleet factories, distribution
improvements in the uniform. Located near Saw-tooth (zigzag) providing a service for centres and final retail
operation of the large urban centres or loading bays for the company. outlets. Obvious
companys activities. strategic transportation simultaneous use by examples are large
points. several lorries. clothing companies
with their own city-
centre shops.
[5]
[6]
Type Funtions Goods stored1 Examples of goods Warehouse Warehouse design Machinery Examples
characteristics
Distribution Used as "reservoirs" of Goods belonging to Food products in Compact storage on Large shelves with Manually operated Central warehouses of
warehouses large amounts of goods other companies, which general (drinks, canned pallets, with loading palletised storage and forklifts and pallet a large retail network
which are transferred are stored temporarily goods, etc.), taking place at one end generally wide aisles. trucks. selling directly to the
1
For all warehouses, there is usually storage for the back-up materials on which the goods are placed, such as wood or plastic pallets, containers, boxes, bins, and so on. These materials also require their own storage area.
In general, the risks to which warehouses are expo- into the workplace involving the possibility of theft
sed relate to a number of factors. Past experience or vandalism, environmental damage which may
and statistics concerning warehouse loss events occur due to accidental spillage of toxic products,
both demonstrate that they form a significant part of falling shelves, knocks and damage to shelf and
the total losses in industrial environments as a rack structures or merchandise, and even risks
whole. generally classified as natural catastrophes, such
as floods or storms.
Adequate business risk management practice
requires an initial identification of the hazards to All measures implemented to minimise these risks
which the company is exposed, followed by appro- must be closely interrelated and must be carried out
priate risk assessment, and subsequent implemen- in addition to suitable warehouse maintenance and
tation of plans for risk prevention and control. The frequent safety condition checks. Only then will the
risks concerned do not only include the most typical effectiveness of the safety system chosen by the
ones such as fire, but also explosions, illegal entry company be ensured.
[7]
3.1. Fire risk
In general, storage of goods does not entail a high The variables that have a significant effect in causing
likelihood of fire unless the materials themselves a fire and resulting in spreading it are numerous and
represent a special risk, as would be the case can be interrelated. As a consequence, it is often dif-
when storing explosives, fuels, solvents, and so ficult to establish the exact origin of fires and to
on. reduce their occurrence in warehouses by acting on
only one of these factors. Experience of warehouse
fires shows that extensive damage occurs as a result
of factors such as the following:
Lack of compartmentalisation.
Bad housekeeping.
However, when fires in warehouses do occur, they Generation of a high level of toxic fumes and gases.
almost always have devastating consequences. This
is because difficulties often arise when trying to con- Absence of automatic sprinklers.
trol and extinguish fires at the initial stage, even
when automatic fire-extinguishing systems are ins- Absence of a damage reduction and action plan in
talled throughout the warehouse. the event of emergency.
A suitable way to prevent fires due to the existen- b. Ignition sources characteristic of the manufac-
ce of electrical installations in poor condition is to turing process. These can be found in storage
introduce predictive maintenance. This includes areas inside industrial processes which use heat
carrying out thermal imaging (thermography) at or open flames, such as industrial furnaces.
least once a year.
c. Ignition sources associated with storage proces-
Thermal imaging is a technique which uses an ses. Warehouses often use machinery to handle
infrared camera to measure the surface tempera- goods. This machinery may be electrical or powe-
ture of different components. In most cases, elec- red by thermal engines using diesel oil, petrol or
trical faults are preceded by increased temperatu- gas. Machinery can include forklift trucks, pallet
res at the weakest point of the installation. This trucks or lifting equipment. In general, indoor
technique is extremely useful since it facilitates warehousing uses electrical equipment requiring
detection up to months in advance of defects which a battery power supply which must be recharged
could cause a breakdown leading to process stop- periodically using battery chargers.
page or, in the worst case scenario, a fire.
Battery chargers present a particular risk becau-
se during the recharging process, they release
hydrogen gas. This is explosive even though it
may only be present in the air in very low concen-
trations and, as a consequence, the presence of
combustible or flammable material around the
battery-charging area increases the fire and
explosion risk in the warehouse.
Thermal imaging analysis of a main switchboard. Real image on the left, The following recommendations should be follo-
thermal image on the right.
wed in relation to battery-charging areas:
In addition, goods can become hot and catch fire - Anti-explosion trucks must be used in areas
if they are stored near energy sources such as where there may be explosive or flammable
heaters or lighting which is heat-producing. gases, vapours or dust, in accordance with the
current regulations.
Goods must be stored at least 1 metre from any
lighting or heat-producing source (an air heater, - The battery-charging area must be free of igni-
a ventilation fan, a blow torch etc.) which could tion sources and well ventilated.
cause a fire.
- Electrical installations must comply with the
Lightning should also be protected against pos- provisions of the Electrical/Technical
sible impact from goods so that their breakage Regulations.
[9]
- Necklaces, bracelets, watches or any other provide flame-extinguishing or spark contain-
metallic objects which could lead to short-cir- ment devices around the exhaust pipe outlet.
cuits or sparks must not be worn during battery
handling and charging operations. d. Other possible ignition sources, albeit not com-
mon in warehouses, are those related to hot
- Lighters or live flames must not be used to work. This type of work includes all operations
check charging levels. which generate heat, sparks, flames or high tem-
peratures and which, in the presence of flamma-
- In automatic battery-charging operations, only ble or combustible materials can cause a fire.
the number of batteries specified by the equip- This is the case with certain tasks performed in
ment manufacturer must be recharged simul- general warehouse maintenance, such as solde-
taneously. ring, circular sawing, drilling, and so on.
To prevent fires related to the fire load occurring, we The correct location of highly hazardous products,
recommend the following measures, many of which such as toxic, corrosive or flammable materials, is
are related to good housekeeping and practices at also important to reducing fire load. Such products
the warehousing facilities: must always be placed in specifically designated
areas and sectioned off from other areas.
Products that represent risks which may cause
exceptional damage (such as dense smoke) or In external storage areas, it is necessary to ensure
corrosive atmospheres should be stored separa- that no additional risk arises due to the proximity
tely from products which are especially vulnerable of the stored goods to external equipment (trans-
to such risk. formers, refrigeration towers, fuel tanks, etc.),
buildings or power lines.
[11]
3.1.3. Oxygen
Waste must be classified and deposited in suita- 2. Pallet racking, in which the palletised loads are
ble containers. If possible, these should be loca- placed on supporting beams using mechanical
ted outside the production and warehouse buil- lifting equipment (such as forklifts) or hand-
dings and separated from the external walls of operated equipment (such as pallet trucks)
the building. In all cases, waste must be appro-
priately dealt with or removed periodically.
2
Block stack storage refers to storage without free horizontal spaces and/or with spaces located at heights above 2m
3
Palletised storage is that in which the use of pallets creates free spaces at intervals of less than 2m in height.
4
Shelf and rack storage refers to the use of fixed shelving or racking where the goods are placed on pallets, solid shelves or in boxes
[13]
a. The existence of electronic or precision equip- 3.1.5. Added risks due to external factors
ment of great importance to the company.
External factors are those that can increase risk
b. The existence of documents or files of high stra- levels due to situations which are foreign to the
tegic value to the company. warehouse itself. They are usually found in the ware-
house surroundings. Significant examples of these
c. Products liable to suffer damage due to combus- external factors are the following:
tion gases or as a result of environmental condi-
tions producing rust. a. Adjacent buildings. Sometimes, the origin of a
fire is not in the warehouse itself but in an adja-
d. Luxury or valuable goods. cent building.
In these cases, if staff members are constantly b. Roofs of different heights on adjacent buildings.
present, current regulations require either the ins-
tallation of one or more ammonia detectors with a c. The presence of trees or undergrowth around the
2% detection sensibility, or the installation of warehouse can cause a fire to spread to the insi-
emergency stop buttons, which should be located de of the warehouse. Ideally, the warehouse
outside. surroundings should be kept free of undergrowth.
6
Sandwich panel: a structure containing insulating material enclosed between two outer panels which are generally made of metal.
* Products of low value that do not justify the use Maximum length of the longest side of the rectan-
of indoor storage areas. gle: L max. = 2h = 14 m
* Products of low value with high fire-risk levels Maximum surface area of the rectangle: S max. =
(such as empty pallets). 100 m2
* Bulky products stored in amounts that make Minimum separation distance between storage
covered storage impractical (such as paper, areas (aisle width): h/2= 3.5 m
wood, etc.).
Minimum separation from walls of the building:
However, even in these cases of apparently little the same as the storage stack height, or if this is
importance, it is necessary to evaluate and consi- not possible, at least 3m.
der certain conditions to ensure proper protection.
It is also necessary to ensure that adequate aisle
The first assessment necessary is to ensure that width exists between the stacks to allow manual fire
goods stored outdoors do not represent a hazard fighting with hoses.
which could cause an interruption in normal busi-
ness activity, production stoppage, or any damage In respect of manual fire fighting, it is advisable to
to third parties such as adjacent companies. have portable fire extinguishers strategically distri-
[15]
buted and to have hydrants with a separation distan- and hot combustion gases accumulate under the cei-
ce of no more than 80 m between each one. ling. When the heat spreading from these gases to
the roof and the structural elements of the building
Good housekeeping and periodic inspections of the becomes intense enough, the building may collapse.
area are essential to ensure minimum safety condi-
tions are met. Site security patrols should include Experience gained of fires inside buildings shows
these outdoor storage areas to detect any anomalies that this problem can be overcome if the windows of
as soon as they appear. the building are located near the roof. This means
that when their glass breaks due to the temperature
change, the combustion gases and generated heat
3.1.6. Fire protection measures dissipate through the openings. As a consequence,
the heat exchange with both structural elements and
The fire protection measures installed at the premises the roof is minimal and, therefore, the damage cau-
influence the ability to control fires and to extinguish sed by the fire is also minimal. This effect is more
them with the minimum possible consequences. pronounced in buildings with metal structures than
in those with concrete structures, given the higher
The first measure to consider in this respect con- heat conductivity of the former.
cerns warehouse construction characteristics.
In general, the ventilation provided by windows or ope-
Given their high heat-resistance levels, the most advi- nings located in the higher sections of the faade or
sable construction materials are concrete and steel roof is enough to dissipate hot gases generated by fire.
coated with plaster or fibrous silicate panels, or even Nevertheless, national, regional or local regulations
sprayed with a layer of perlite or vermiculite mortar. may require the installation of smoke and heat vents.
When steel is protected with intumescent paint, Lastly, another factor affecting the capacity to con-
firstly it is important to ensure that its application trol and extinguish fires is the presence of active
covers the entire structure. No less important is protection measures. Among the most important
maintenance, particularly in areas which could be measures are:
affected by knocks. In any event, such coatings for
metallic structures are not effective against lasting Automatic detection systems installed to allow
or intense fire, as is foreseeable in the case of ware- fire fighting to begin as soon as a fire starts. These
house fires. systems must be connected to a 24-hour alarm
reception system.
The next preferred choice in terms of construction
materials involves the use of large, heavy wooden
beams because of their slow combustion and struc-
tural stability compared to an uncoated metallic
structure.
[17]
Maintenance of fire protection equipment and insta- As regards training, one must consider that in gene-
llations must be carried out in accordance with the ral the most important factor for detecting and con-
Regulations on Fire Protection Installations. trolling fire is the human factor. It is therefore essen-
Investment in safety measures is sometimes rende- tial to train staff to enable them to fight a fire at its
red useless by improper maintenance. The best way initial stages. In addition, it is equally important to
to avoid this is by providing adequate training and by develop an updated and correctly implemented
involving plant maintenance staff in the maintenance emergency plan which incorporates training activi-
of fire protection devices. Although certain mainte- ties involving real fires and annual fire drills.
nance operations must be performed by an authori-
sed company, other less complex but equally impor-
tant operations can be carried out by warehouse staff.
Basic environmental risk safety measures initially With respect to the battery-charging areas or pre-
involve the suitable classification of the stored mises found in many warehouses, the main environ-
goods. mental risks arise from acid splashes or spillage.
These can be reduced by installing a waterproof,
Potentially toxic chemical substances, such as acid-resistant floor with a slope which allows easier
petroleum products, solvents and dyes must be ade- removal of cleaning water and acid spills.
quately labelled and safety data sheets must be pro- Recommendable maintenance tasks include fre-
vided for each product in order to enable their use in quent cleaning of the premises and the use of suc-
the event of an emergency. The provision of informa- tion to eliminate dust from battery chambers, while
tion and training for workers handling the products is taking care not to suction the electrolyte.
Construction methods.
3.3.1. Wind
Flooding can be caused by the following:
Modern lightweight roofs can have entire roof panels
torn off by wind. Walls and wall enclosures can also As a direct result of water from excessive rainfall.
be affected, leading to the collapse of the building if
these are designed only to enclose the structure Water from the melting of ice and snow.
without providing resistance to excess pressure or
excess loads. Water overflowing from lakes with natural outlets,
rivers or estuaries, and other natural surface
Design regulations exist to enable calculation of waterways.
the wind loads exerted on a building and its roof.
Factors influencing design choices include the Water from rough seas along coastlines.
wind regime and the topographical location of the
building. Water from burst dams.
To prevent wind suction from tearing the roof off, At times, the effects of such phenomena are worse-
sufficient anchoring provision must be incorpora- ned by the effect of human actions on our environ-
ted at the design stage. In addition, the building ment. These can include:
design must consider possible vibrations caused
the dynamic forces produced by the effect of chan- The waterproofing effect of laying tarmac on large
ges between wind pressure and wind suction on surface areas of land.
the roof.
Cutting down trees and crops, leaving the land
As a general construction rule, it is advisable to bare and facilitating erosion.
employ systems which distribute wind loads down to
the foundations. Such systems include, for example, The practice of channelling water, which can wor-
the use of supporting or load-bearing walls. sen flooding by increasing the quantity of water
which flows into rivers in short periods of time.
To obtain a stronger enclosing structure without
introducing excessive weight, steel bar reinforce- The building of constructions in rivers or water-
ments can be used. ways.
[19]
Flooded land can lead to landslides and the collapse Waterproofing and/or the sealing of openings in
of buildings if their structures have not been effi- the building structure, such as doors and windows.
ciently designed to withstand land movements.
Water which enters buildings in an uncontrolled
Other possible types of water damage to buildings manner can affect machinery and stored goods.
are those resulting from rain, hail or snowfall on the For this reason, it is important to keep the goods
roof. Damage caused by these phenomena includes 10 cm or more above floor level. This can be done
leaks, burst water pipes or drains, collapsing roofs, by stacking the goods on wooden or plastic pallets
smashed skylights and windows, and so on. Aside rather then directly on the floor, thereby can redu-
from building damage, there may also be damage to ce possible damage due to rain, leaking pipes, and
the stored goods, which could prove costlier than so on.
that to the building itself.
Most damage to buildings or goods is preventable by
In addition to the above, it is important to remember proper maintenance of roofs, ceilings, drainpipes
that flooding can cause environmental pollution by and drains. Periodic checks and controls should be
damaging stored goods and then carrying hazardous introduced and special attention should be paid to
substances into the public water supply system. maintenance during periods when such damage is
High temperatures can also cause products to more likely, for example, in periods associated with
decompose and they may then be carried by the flo- heavy rainfall.
wing water, causing contamination of land or natural
waterways. Roofs can collapse due to structural faults resulting
from poor design or an excessive accumulation of
To prevent environmental and other damage occu- hailstone or snow on the roof. This is particularly
rring (such as that to stored goods), warehouses can likely in the case of flat roofs or at the junction of
be fitted with sloping floors and underground draina- buildings of different heights, where snow or water
ge for the collection of water. If drains are connected can accumulate.
to the general sewer system, the possibility of water
entering the warehouse from the sewer system must Proper design of sloping roofs and guttering plus sui-
be considered. This can occur due to the sewer table maintenance of guttering and drainage systems
system becoming blocked or overflowing. The best are the only ways to prevent damage occurring.
solution to prevent this is to install a sewer back-
flow valve in the warehouse drainage collector.
3.3.3. Lightning strikes
Flooding can also cause damage to the stored goods,
including the packaging. This presents problems for Lightning produced in storms is directly or indirectly
electronic goods such as cameras or mobile tele- responsible for frequent harm to persons and dama-
phones, where water damage to the packaging can ge to goods. Among the most common types of
affect product quality or even destroy the items. damage caused to warehouses are:
[21]
3.4. Theft and intrusion risk
Theft and intrusion are other risks to which ware- The anti-intrusion and anti-theft measures employed
houses are exposed. in warehouses to reduce risk to acceptable levels can
vary as widely as the products stored in them. For this
As regards the risk of intrusion, this can have highly reason, providing an exhaustive list of valid protection
damaging consequences for warehouses in the form measures for all warehouses is not feasible here.
of arson or intentionally setting fire to property.
Warehouses have high combustible loads and are Protection systems need to be looked at on an individual
therefore prime targets for such crimes, particularly basis, selecting the most suitable measures according
when there are no people in the building. The rea- to each risk and according to the minimum level of pro-
sons are wide and varied and experience shows that tection necessary. However, general recommendations
personal grudges or revenge can play a part. can be divided into the following categories:
As for theft, although it exists as a risk factor in all Passive protection measures intended to delay
warehouses, assessment of the degree of risk it intrusion.
varies from one warehouse to the next. In general,
two key factors require consideration: Active protection measures intended to detect the
intruder and raise the alarm in the event of intrusion.
To what degree are the products attractive to thieves?
Organisational measures, which include the rela-
Theft vulnerability or the ease with which the tionships between the agents involved in intrusion
goods can be stolen. protection.
To estimate the first factor, it is necessary to know Choice of the most appropriate anti-intrusion pro-
the value of the stored goods: tection system requires careful balancing of the
three types of measures outlined above.
What is their market value?
Can they be sold or placed in the market easily? 3.4.1. Passive protection measures
As regards the vulnerability of the goods, one must
first know who to protect the goods against:
Company staff?
Window bars
[23]
correct size in order to prevent access to the pre- Anti-Intrusion protection in warehouses is often based
mises. on the use of presence detectors, particularly passive
infrared detectors. These detectors analyse an infra-
max. 300 mm
red image of the premises and react in the event of
temperature differences caused by a potential intruder
in the protected area.
Min. diameter 16 mm
max. 100 mm
max. 80 mm
[25]
The volume of goods stored in warehouses means ce of a safety management policy alone will be of little
that the material losses suffered in the event of a fire use unless it is complemented by the involvement of
can be considerable. In addition, damage to profes- all parties. Naturally, leadership is essential in order
sional image may occur, which hinders recovery and to achieve good results in this area. Managerial actions
the achievement of a return to normal business acti- and decisions send clear messages to all levels of the
vity. As a consequence, the warehousing sector is organisation regarding which actions are considered
highly sensitive to fire risk and adequate protection important and which are considered unacceptable.
requires exceptional safety measures which may
even surpass those required in law. The principal purpose of a well-designed and ade-
quately maintained warehouse is to ensure that the
However, risks are not limited to those related to receipt, protection and dispatch of goods are carried
fire. It is also important to protect warehouses out as efficiently as possible. To achieve this goal, the
against theft, natural catastrophes and environmen- important requirements do not only include factors
tal damage that may be caused by stored goods. such as location near the final customer, ease of
transport, flexible storage spaces and proper sizing
Given the wide range of potential threats, warehouse of the warehouse. It is also vital to guarantee the
safety management requires corporate managers to safety of the stored goods and in doing so, of the
have a comprehensive vision of risk. In addition, the warehouse itself.
company must have a proper maintenance policy for
its warehousing facilities and the best housekeeping For this reason, warehouse safety represents an
and cleaning practices must be followed. The existen- added value in the services offered to clients.
[27]
[28] Warehouse safety guide
Title: Warehouse Safety Guide.
Published by: Mapfre RE
ITSEMAP Servicios Tecnolgicos MAPFRE, S.A.
MAPFRE RE Compaa de Reaseguros, S.A.
Printed by: Imagen Grfica de vila, S.L.
Printed in Spain
Spanish legal deposit: AV-118-2008
All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, recorded nor transmitted
in any manner or by any means without the publisher's consent.
Mod. MRe-SGW/09-08
P Recoletos, 25
28004 Madrid
www.mapfre.com