Warehouse Health and Safety: International University Vietnam National University HCMC

Warehouse Health and Safety
International University
Vietnam National University HCMC
RMIT Classification: Trusted
“Health and safety is a fundamental part of business. Boards need

someone with passion and energy to ensure it stays at the core of the
organization”
(Health and Safety Executive)
Objectives
Risk assessment
Layout and design
Fire safety
Manual handling
Working at height
Warehouse equipment legislations
Introduction
• The potential hazards found

within the warehouse.
• How they can make the area

as safe as possible for their
staff.
• Accidents will happen, there

are processes that can reduce
the dangers significantly.
Recording injuries received within the
warehouse
• Unsafe use of forklifts

• Improper stacking of products
• Failure to use proper personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Failure to follow proper lockout/tagout procedures
ie: prevent equipment from being accidentally energized
• Inadequate fire safety provisions
• Repetitive motion injuries
Total recordable incidence rate
Risk assessment
A risk assessment is an important step in protecting your workforce

and your business as well as complying with the law. It helps you to
focus on the risks that really matter in your workplace
=> Cheap and effective measures to ensure that the workforce is fully
protected
Risk assessment
• A risk assessment is simply a careful
examination of what can cause harm to
people so that you can weigh up whether
you have taken enough precautions or
should do more to prevent harm.
• You are legally required to assess the
risks in your workplace, so you must put
plans in place to control risks
Risk assessment
A risk assessment can be broken down into five stages:
Step 1: Identify the hazards.
Step 2: Decide who might be harmed and how.
Step 3: Implement your findings and record and communicate

them
Step 4: Clear signage
Step 5: Review your assessment regularly and update if

necessary
Step 1: Identify the hazards
• Walk around the warehouse, internally and externally, and look at

what could reasonably be expected to cause harm.
• Ask your colleagues and staff if they are aware of any potential
hazards.
• Check the manufacturers’ instructions or data sheets for chemicals

and equipment as they can be very helpful in spelling out the hazards
and putting them in their true perspective.
• Assess potential long-term affects to health, eg high levels of noise or

exposure to harmful substances
Step 1: Identify the hazards
Step 2: Decide who might be

harmed and how
 Some workers have particular requirements, eg new staff and

people
with disabilities may be at particular risk.
 Include cleaners, visitors, contractors, maintenance workers, etc
who may not be in the workplace all the time.
 In each case, identify how they might be harmed, ie what type of
injury or ill health might occur.
For example: ‘Staff stacking shelves may suffer back injury
from repeated lifting of boxes.’
 Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions.
 Discuss your findings with the company’s safety representative.
Step 2: Decide who might be

harmed and how
• Can I get rid of the hazard altogether?
• If not, how can I control the risks so that harm is unlikely?
• When controlling risks, apply the following principles, if possible in
this
order:
 Try a less risky option (eg switch to using a less
hazardous chemical).
 Prevent access to the hazard (eg by using guardrails).
 Organize work to reduce exposure to the hazard (eg put
barriers
between pedestrians and traffic).
• Issue personal protective equipment (eg clothing, footwear,
goggles).
• Provide welfare facilities (eg first aid and washing facilities for
removal of contamination).
Step 3: Implement your findings and

record and communicate them
• Putting the results of your risk

assessment into practice will
make a difference when looking
after people and your business
Example: ‘Tripping over

rubbish: bins provided, staff
instructed, daily housekeeping
checks’, or ‘Broken pallets in
racking: products repalletized,
daily housekeeping check’.
Step 3: Implement your findings

and record and communicate them
A good plan of action often includes a mixture of different things such

as:
• A few cheap or easy improvements that can be done quickly, perhaps
as
a temporary solution until more reliable controls are in place
• Long-term solutions to those risks most likely to cause accidents or ill
health
• Long-term solutions to those risks with the worst potential
consequences
• Arrangements for training employees on the main risks that remain
and how they are to be controlled
• Regular checks to make sure that the control measures stay in place
• Clear responsibilities – who will lead on what action and by when.
Step 4: Clear signage
Remember, prioritize and tackle the most important things first.

As you complete each action, tick it off your plan
Step 5: Review your assessment

regularly and update if necessary
Have there been any changes?
Are there improvements you still need to make?
Have your workers spotted a problem?
Have you learnt anything from accidents or near misses?
=> Make sure your risk assessment stays up to date
Risk assessment
Layout and design
A warehouse should be designed and laid out to:
• Allow people to move around it safely Pedestrian traffic routes.
• Help to reduce accidents (vehicles and slips/trips)
Layout and design
• Storage areas, aisles and gangways
• Pedestrian traffic routes
• Stairs and ramps
• Emergency escape routes
Layout and design
Thinking about design and layout

include:
• Storage areas, aisles and

gangways
• Pedestrian traffic routes
• Stairs and ramps
• Emergency escape routes
Layout and design
Racking checklist can be drawn up as an • Are the pallets in good condition?

inspection sheet:
• Is there any visible damage?
• Is the equipment on sound, level
flooring? • When was it last inspected?
• Is it still installed correctly? • Are there signs on the end detailing
• Are double-sided runs connected • weight capacities?
properly?
• Are staff trained properly?
• Are the aisles wide enough?
• Are there any receptacles for rubbish,
• Are the beam connector locks securely eg shrink wrap, packaging,
fastened?
broken bits of pallet?
• Are the racks aligned properly?
• Are the correct pallets being used?
Layout and design
Emergency
escape routes
Fire Safety
A fire risk assessment must be

undertaken to ensure that fire
safety procedures, fire
prevention measures and fire
precautions are all in place and
correct.
Fire Safety
What is expected of employees in the event

of an emergency:
• Provisions for emergency exit locations

and evacuation procedures
• Procedures for accounting for all

employees and visitors
• Location and use of fire extinguishers and

other emergency equipment
Fire Safety
The five stages of fire risk assessment are:
• Step 1: Identify fire hazards.
• Step 2: Identify people at risk.
• Step 3: Evaluate, remove, reduce and protect from risk.
• Step 4: Record, plan, inform, instruct and train.
• Step 5: Review and revise risk assessments as necessary.
Forklift trucks
In accidents involving forklift trucks, 87 per cent were

attributed to counterbalance trucks. The highest number of
accidents (48 per cent) occur when tacking/retrieving
goods, and the greatest cause of accidents is being struck
by a moving vehicle
Forklift trucks
• Separate forklift traffic and other workers where
possible.
• Workers do not operate a forklift unless they
have been trained and licensed. • Limit some aisles to workers on foot only or forklifts
only.
• Develop, implement and enforce a
comprehensive written safety programme • Restrict the use of forklifts near time clocks, break
rooms, cafeterias and main exits.
• Establish a vehicle inspection and
maintenance programme. • Install physical barriers where practical to ensure that
workstations are isolated from aisles travelled by
• Ensure that operators use only an approved forklifts.
lifting cage and adhere to general safety
practices for elevating personnel with a • Evaluate intersections and other blind corners to
forklift. Also, secure the platform to the lifting improve the visibility of forklift operators or workers
carriage or forks. on foot.
• Do not move the forklift whilst the cage is in • Make every effort to alert workers when a forklift is
the air. nearby (horns, alarms and flashing lights to warn
workers)
• Provide means for personnel on the platform
to shut off power to the truck whenever the • Ensure that workplace safety inspections are routinely
truck is equipped with vertical only or conducted by a person who can identify hazards.
vertical and horizontal controls for lifting
personnel.
Manual handling
Manual handling can often cause work-related problems,
including back pain and neck pain
When considering a manual handling operation, the
following must be taken into account:
• The task
• The load
• The working environment

• Individual capacity
Manual handling
• Try to use mechanical handling devices such as lift

trucks, pallet trucks, trolleys or scissors lifts
• All employees should be trained in safe manual handling

techniques, training should be specific to the tasks
• Operators should also be encouraged to get a co-worker

to assist if it is too heavy
Back Safety
• Lifting
• Reaching
• Standing
• Pushing/pulling
• Bending
• Carrying
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1012
Safe Lifting Technique
1. Stand close to the load
2. Squat down next to the load
3. Pull the load close
4. Tighten your stomach muscles
5. Raise with back straight
Working at height
Working at height can be a

particular risk in the
warehousing and storage
industry, and any working at
height must be properly
planned, supervised and
carried out in as safe a
manner as possible
All mechanical handling and lifting equipment is classed as

‘work equipment’ and subject to PUWER (1998). These
regulations require:
• The inspection and maintenance of equipment
• The provision of information, instruction and training
• The marking of controls;
• That mobile work equipment for carrying persons is
suitable
• Protection from rolling over
• Facilities to prevent unauthorized operation
• The provision of lighting equipment where necessary
• The provision, where necessary, of devices to improve
vision
LOLER 1998 states that lifting equipment needs to

be inspected and thoroughly examined:
• After installation and before first use
• If lifting people or is a lifting attachment – every six

months
• At least every 12 months for all other equipment
• Each time the equipment has been involved in an

accident
References
Richards, G. (2017). Warehouse management: a complete guide to

improving efficiency and minimizing costs in the modern warehouse.
Kogan Page Publishers. Chapter 7

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Warehouse Health and Safety

“Health and safety is a fundamental part of business. Boards need

(Health and Safety Executive)

• The potential hazards found

• How they can make the area

• Accidents will happen, there

• Unsafe use of forklifts

Total recordable incidence rate

A risk assessment is an important step in protecting your workforce

A risk assessment can be broken down into five stages:

Step 1: Identify the hazards.

Step 2: Decide who might be harmed and how.

Step 3: Implement your findings and record and communicate

Step 4: Clear signage

Step 5: Review your assessment regularly and update if

Step 1: Identify the hazards

• Walk around the warehouse, internally and externally, and look at

• Check the manufacturers’ instructions or data sheets for chemicals

• Assess potential long-term affects to health, eg high levels of noise or

Step 1: Identify the hazards

Step 2: Decide who might be

 Some workers have particular requirements, eg new staff and

Step 2: Decide who might be

Step 3: Implement your findings and

• Putting the results of your risk

Example: ‘Tripping over

Step 3: Implement your findings

A good plan of action often includes a mixture of different things such

Step 4: Clear signage

Remember, prioritize and tackle the most important things first.

Step 5: Review your assessment

Have there been any changes?

Are there improvements you still need to make?

Have your workers spotted a problem?

Have you learnt anything from accidents or near misses?

=> Make sure your risk assessment stays up to date

Layout and design

A warehouse should be designed and laid out to:

• Allow people to move around it safely Pedestrian traffic routes.

• Help to reduce accidents (vehicles and slips/trips)

Layout and design

• Storage areas, aisles and gangways

• Pedestrian traffic routes

• Stairs and ramps

• Emergency escape routes

Layout and design

Thinking about design and layout

• Storage areas, aisles and

• Pedestrian traffic routes

• Stairs and ramps

• Emergency escape routes

Layout and design

Racking checklist can be drawn up as an • Are the pallets in good condition?

Layout and design

A fire risk assessment must be

What is expected of employees in the event

• Provisions for emergency exit locations

• Procedures for accounting for all

• Location and use of fire extinguishers and

The five stages of fire risk assessment are:

• Step 1: Identify fire hazards.

• Step 2: Identify people at risk.

• Step 3: Evaluate, remove, reduce and protect from risk.