The Most Common Causes Of Warehouse Injuries And How To Avoid Them

 Warehouse operations are prone to accidents. However, the risks can be reduced by taking appropriate actions and precautions. In this article, we look at the most common causes of warehouse accidents – and what you can do to reduce their frequency and severity.

 Injuries and accidents in a warehouse are no joke. They can result in costly insurance claims, lost work time, and low employee morale. The good news is that many of these accidents can be prevented by following simple safety rules and using the right tools for the job.

 Here are some of the most common causes of warehouse injuries – along with steps you can take to prevent them:

 1. Slips, trips, and falls

 The most common injuries in a warehouse are slips, trips, and falls. They can occur because of slippery floors or obstacles left in walkways.

Prevention

The simplest way to prevent them is to keep your warehouse floor clean and dry and ensure that all pathways are clear of obstructions.

 When cleaning up spills, you should use appropriate warning signs to alert other employees to the hazard. If possible, you should also block off affected areas until the spill has been cleared up completely.

 2. Improper lifting techniques

 Lifting heavy objects improperly is one of the most common causes of back injuries in the workplace. If you need to lift something that is more than 35 pounds, use a team lift, a hoist, or a forklift truck.

Prevention

If you must lift by yourself, be sure to follow proper lifting techniques:

·        Stand close to the object you’re lifting

·        Bend your knees

·        Lift with your legs (not your back)

3. Repetitive movement injuries

 Another common cause of warehouse injuries is repetitive motion. This type of injury is particularly common in the picking and packing departments, where employees are constantly reaching, bending, and lifting.

 Prevention

 Rotate staff: Workers who perform similar tasks should rotate jobs on a regular basis. This will help prevent muscle strain, soreness, and fatigue caused by doing the same thing over and over again.

 4. Overloading your lift truck

Most forklift injuries occur when a truck is overloaded, or its load is unstable. The best way to prevent this is by training your drivers to understand their load capacity – and the weight of the products they are handling. Use a scale to weigh your loads and make sure that they do not exceed the truck’s maximum capacity rating.

 5. Poor housekeeping

Clutter and debris can cause slips, trips, falls, and other injuries in a warehouse. To keep your workplace safe, make sure that you have sufficient storage space for tools, raw materials, and finished goods – and designate a specific area for storing recyclables and waste items. Consider installing signs or barriers around areas where spills have occurred, or work is underway. You should also require workers to wear appropriate footwear (e.g., shoes with slip-resistant soles) in all areas of the warehouse.

 6. Moving machinery and vehicles

 One of the biggest causes of serious accidents in warehouses is moving machinery. This includes forklift trucks, tractors, and other vehicles used for moving goods around the warehouse.

Prevention

 To avoid these types of accidents:

– Make sure that all vehicles have regular safety inspections

– Emphasise to staff the importance of keeping an eye out for pedestrians when they are operating a vehicle

– Use security signs to warn people of potential hazards – such as blind corners or sharp bends

7. Lack of proper forklift training

Because they are heavy and difficult to operate, forklifts pose an inherent danger to employees – especially those who do not use them regularly or do not receive adequate training in how they should be operated safely. Forklifts are one of the most frequent causes of accidents in warehouses, so it’s essential that all operators be properly trained before they’re allowed to operate a forklift alone.

Prevention

 When hiring new staff, look for people with previous experience operating a forklift.

What TGL Offers

 At TGL, we provide warehousing solutions in dry goods, ensuring your goods are handled with the best care possible. Our strategic alliances with container terminal and related operators, whether in Free Trade Zones or the Customs Territory, further give you less-costly options in keeping your goods.

We understand the importance of providing swift, affordable, and safe delivery of your goods and are readily available in assisting your business to achieve its business goals while maximizing profit and reducing cost through our logistics solutions.

With a team of over 50 years of combined experience in freight forwarding, out-country and in-country logistics, compliance/documentation, and core technology services, we bring to the table a firm promise to provide a reliable platform for end-to-end logistics solutions for businesses.

Get in touch with our experts to discuss your logistics requirements

Email: info@tgl.ng