About 1 in 20 warehouse laborers are injured on the job each year. However, your warehouse may experience fewer injuries depending on how well it implements safety standards.

To create a comfortable and efficient warehouse environment, you need to take safety seriously. Taking steps to improve safety for employees will foster better welfare and job satisfaction. Additionally, it may also help save your business some money.

If you want to improve safety in your warehouse, take a look at these five key warehouse safety tips.

1. Start With Safety Training

One of the key steps to creating a safe and efficient warehouse environment is to train your workers properly. Make sure that your warehouse has a strong onboarding training process in place so that your employees should be trained on the proper safety practices. They should understand the common causes of accidents and know exactly when they should use various types of safety gear and equipment.

You should also ensure that workers know the safety practices for any equipment that they’ll be using at work. Thoroughly train them on how to use forklifts and other types of machinery or chemicals before they’re required to use them in their work..

And don’t stop training your employees once they’ve been onboarded. Reiterate the importance of safety regularly throughout the year and give additional refresher courses to ensure that everyone remains on the same page and is working in the safest way possible.

Remember: while business insurance can help in the case of an accident, following best practices for safety during work should be a top priority. 

2. Ensure Tasks Are Performed Using Safety Best Practices

To keep your warehouse safe, you should also make sure that workers follow all safety best practices when performing tasks. These specifically relate to the physical motions individuals have to go through to carry out their work. 

For example, if an employee is constantly lifting and moving heavy items, they need to be aware that repetitive motions can cause damage to the bodies of workers over time and can cause a lot of strain. And sooner or later, this can result in an injury.

That’s why it’s important to implement OSHA heavy lifting standards. Ensure that employees know the correct way to lift boxes and other heavy items so that injuries and accidents can be avoided.

3. Install Warehouse Safety Signage

Another thing that you should do to ensure safety in your warehouse is to add warehouse safety signs to communicate safety rules and serve as reminders for your team.

You should add signage to any part of your warehouse that is potentially dangerous to ensure that workers will remain cautious. Adding signs to floors, racks, equipment, and other parts of your warehouse can be helpful for preventing injuries and keeping safety at the top of your employee’s minds.

For equipment, remind employees to wear the proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) since this will be required under OSHA warehouse safety standards. You should also add signage around areas where there’s dangerous machinery or power generators.

You should also clearly label all emergency supplies and equipment so that they can be found easily. This includes emergency exits and special tools such as fire extinguishers, eyewash stations, and first aid kits.

4. Implement a Solid Cleaning Routine

One of the big things that can help keep your warehouse safe for everyone working in it is ensuring cleanliness is a priority. Your warehouse should be kept as uncluttered as possible and you should follow a regular cleaning routine that allows you to keep the space safe for anyone navigating it.

Prioritize keeping the floors clean and ensure that any spills are cleaned up quickly. You should also keep all warehouse aisles and paths free from materials and debris and should keep them clean and organized.

Trips and falls are a major source of injuries in a warehouse setting, so you need to ensure that there’s never anything around that someone could trip over or get injured on. Additionally, keeping floors and paths clean will also help encourage good fire safety because your workers will be able to evacuate properly in the case of an emergency situation.

5. Check Safety Equipment Regularly

To create a safe work environment, you must ensure that all safety equipment and installations are checked and double-checked often.

Your team should perform safety equipment inspections regularly and should ensure that they have what they need to stay safe. Be sure that you check that your fire extinguishers are in working order, sprinklers are working and unblocked, and that there is proper ventilation in the warehouse.

All employees should have access to the proper safety equipment on an everyday basis. Ensure that they’re wearing safe lifting belts and all necessary PPE when needed and that they’ll have access to safe utility knives.

Ensuring that all necessary safety equipment and supplies are available for your workers is essential. This will keep your employees safe and your warehouse free from setbacks.

Using These Warehouse Safety Tips to Improve Your Workplace

To make the most of these warehouse safety tips, you need to be sure that you start with a solid employee training program. Ensure that everyone on your team understands the importance of safety practices. You should also add signage to your warehouse and have a strong cleaning routine in place if you want to further improve warehouse safety.

Is your business protected in case of workplace accidents and injuries? Learn more about NorthEast Insurance Services today if you want to ensure that your business is prepared for problems.