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Abstract
Injuries and illnesses are major deterrents to safe operations in a warehouse. Carelessness and the failure to observe necessary and laid procedures have contributed a lot to those injuries. This paper examines the root course of the injuries and how they can be avoided.
Thesis statement
A safe, orderly and efficient warehouse is key to successful operation.
Introduction
A warehouse could be defined as a large building where goods are stored. In a warehouse, goods may be catalogued, shipped or received depending upon the type. Many warehouses are located in industrial areas sometimes next to major shipping ports. Modern warehouse facilities are completely or partially automated. The principle operation of a warehouse is receiving, getting in new products and shipping out products already stored.
Warehouse safety entails measures to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses. Safety of a warehouse begins right from the time of designing. The design should be such that it accommodates business service requirements and the products to be handled or stored.
Common hazards in the warehouse include: slips, trips and falls, falling objects, injuries caused by warehouse equipments such as conveyors’ forklift trucks and hard trucks plus materials stored in the warehouse that could be flammable or combustible. There are various Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules that apply to warehouse safety. OSHA requires good house keeping (area clean and neat), material handling and good storage of materials to avoid hazards. The material handling and storage regulations regulate forklift trucks and other equipment usage. Other regulations touch on ladders and working surfaces, fire protection, personal protection clothing and equipment plus materials that are hazardous, flammable, combustible or explosive substances that can be stored in a warehouse.
Good house keeping is absolutely important in a warehouse. It is not only good for safety but also ensures everything is in place. Objects on the floor or aisles are tripping hazards and need to be removed. Materials should not be stored loosely. They need to be well staked to avoid falling on people. Protruding and sharp objects can cut or puncture. Large items should not be kept where people can bump against them. Flammable goods and trash should not be kept on places where they can catch fire. Water, oil and other liquids should not be left on the floors since they can cause slips and falls.
Forklifts have high center of gravity. They need to be driven by qualified people and slowly otherwise they can tip off. Materials/goods should be well placed on the forks and lifted correctly to avoid slipping and falling on people. Operators of forklifts must understand the machine and correctly follow road regulations to avoid injuries on pedestrians. No one else except an operator should ride on a forklift. A person should never walk or stand under a raised forklift. A forklift should be loaded carefully to ensure goods do not fall or tip the truck off. Forklift should be driven slowly and both the fork and the loads should be kept low while moving. Forks should be lowered and tilted flat, the brake well set and key removed when a forklift is parked.
Manual lifting should be done with care. Irresponsible lifting can cause back injuries, tripping, falling or bumping into things. Guards of conveyors should be kept in place otherwise contact with moving conveyors can be hazardous. Safe lifting is mandatory. One should know his/her limitations of the loads to carry. Back injuries are the biggest hazards in lifting and carrying. When lifting, one needs to stand close to the load and squat down to it but not bending over.
The load should be griped firmly and brought close to the body with the weight centered. Head and shoulders should be lifted first and legs push up. One should ensure he/she is seeing over the load. One should move in small steps while avoiding twisting. While unloading on should face the spot while doing it slowly. Fingers should be away from the bottom to avoid injuries.
Cranes, hoists and derricks need to be operated by trained personnel. The personnel should be able to properly swing loads while suspended to avoid injuries. The cranes should be well balanced to avoid falling over. Cranes, hoists and derricks should only be used for intended purposes. They should be well maintained and serviced. Maximum load capacity must not be exceeded. The area where they are working should be well cleared to avoid knocking over during operation.
Ladders should be well rated for a given task and in good condition. Otherwise it is possible for someone to fall off. Metal ladder should not be used near live electricity wires. The ladder should be set on a firm level surface. The angle of the ladder should be a distance from the wall. Ladders should not be placed against unstable things. One person at a time should be allowed to climb on a ladder. While using a ladder, one should stand centered on it otherwise can lose balance and fall off.
Ropes need to be used carefully since they can cause serious injuries incase they cut off suddenly. Care should be taken to avoid falling off unguarded edges during loading or unloading at the docks. Dock plates should be secured and trucks should be blocked to keep them from moving. Injuries can occur if doors start opening or closing and people are not expecting them.
Some materials handled in a ware house can release fire, explosions and poisonous gases. Precautions should be taken when handling such.
Dollies and hand trucks should be loaded and used properly. Heavy objects should be loaded on the bottom. Goods should not be piled up so high until they block seeing. Where possible, pushing should be preferred to pulling. One should lean in the direction of the truck and the load should be kept ahead of one especially when walking downhill.
One should not ride on a conveyor or crawl across or under it. Loose clothes and jewelry should not be worn when working with conveyors. Avoid contact with gears, shafts and other moving parts. One should be alert near a conveyor otherwise materials coming off them can cause injuries.
One should always wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE). OSHA requires employers to provide employees with PPE. Hard hats are necessary for head protection, protective footwear is also required. Gloves should be provided to protect hands especially when handling rough or sharp materials. Safety glass is needed for the eyes. Incase of noise, hearing protection is also needed.
In conclusion no matter how good the protective equipments are, how strict the rules are, one can not be safe unless safety is made a priority. Right attitude is the mother of safety. One should be able to take seriously the use of equipment and procedures as laid down regarding safety. One needs strong common sense in paying attention to warning signs. One should be watchful when walking, avoid running, avoid throwing tools to others and instead to hand them over and so forth.
References
Industrial safety. 2008. Web.
Manual handling of product. 2008. Web.
Warehouse design. 2008. Web.
Warehouse safety. 2008. Web.
What is a warehouse?. 2008. Web.
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