Your most important customer satisfaction function is probably your warehouse and order fulfillment operations. Order fulfillment impacts the things customers care about most:

• Did I get the right product?
• Did I get it on time?
• Did I get the right quantity?
• Was my shipment damaged?

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You try to run away as fast as you can, aware of the scary apparition chasing you with each breath. You turn to look back, and stumble onto the ground. Paralyzed with fear, you watch as the shape moves closer and closer. Suddenly up close, you can see that there was no way you could escape, as safety issues could not be stopped.

Blumhouse horror movie? Not really. Warehouses can be dangerous places to work in. It is important to understand common warehouse dangers and hazards because they can cause injuries and in extreme cases death, haunting your warehouse for years to come. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an average of 16 fatalities every year in the US warehousing and storage sector and a reported injury and illness rate of 5 out of every 100 warehouse and storage workers. With these ghastly statistics in mind, we review some of the most common warehouse safety bogeymen and offer tips and resources to help you avoid there terror.

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Warehouses have always had problems with the point in their material handling system where docks or shipping areas meet the production line. For lack of a better word, these are awkward areas.
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As we have covered previously, conveyors contribute to ergonomics in material handling operations by reducing repetitive lifts, twists, reaching and materials movement that may have been done by hand without them. Eliminating manual lifting and carrying reduces the chances for painful, expensive musculoskeletal injuries. It’s not about the once-in-a-while lift/carry. It’s about the same, repetitive motions over and over.

It’s important that your conveyor is configured correctly to make this work.

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In warehouses, about 25% of injuries come at or near the loading dock area.

This is usually because it’s such a focal point of any distribution operation—it’s where everything is accepted and put-away and where everything eventually process out. This means that at times the dock will buzz with forklifts, workers on foot, and other bursts of activity. It has a natural fall hazard in the edge of the dock. It’s got exposure to elements, meaning that it may have moisture, oils and other trip/slip hazards. When it comes to preventing falls, what are your OSHA’s requirements? And what should you do above and beyond them?

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When it’s single-digits outside, any warehouse worker can tell you how cold the job gets near the shipping or receiving docks. Due to the sheer size and typical construction of warehouses, they’re difficult to insulate and heat. They are also susceptible to roof leaks, which may cause slip hazards during rainy or winter weather. Warehouse workers who work in chilly, uncomfortable environments all day are going to be less efficient, slower and at more risk for accidents or injuries. Even wearing jackets and gloves, the cold has a profound effect on their comfort and work. What are some steps you can take to reduce the impact?

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Gravity conveyors are typically installed on a decline, meaning the infeed side of the conveyor is elevated over the end of the line, resulting in product flow. This is one of the easiest ways to move products quickly and economically. How can you set up your gravity conveyor for optimal product flow?

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Forklifts dominate OSHA’s annual list of safety violations, so it’s no mystery why industrial companies are always searching for ways to improve safety.

Safety-conscious operations are integrating safety lights and sensors to help reduce pedestrian/forklift accidents. These systems usually detect traffic (people and forklifts),  and  then deploy visual and/or audible warnings to the driver, the pedestrian, or both. When it comes to visual warnings, some are ceiling-hung, others at eye level, and others are shot onto the floor. What placement works best, and why?

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Years ago, during a busy time at one of our warehouses, an intruder entered our building through an open dock door and proceeded to steal things from some offices. Thankfully, nobody was harmed and nothing was really lost, but the incident underlined the need to control access to our facility while still letting fresh Spring air flow. To prevent intrusions and still allow easy access, there are some options for warehouses and manufacturing facilities with large dock doors.

Since 87% of warehouse inventory losses occur at warehouses and shipping yards, dock doors – and the way they are guarded – play a critical role in overall security.

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A loading dock is kind of like a football center: It touches the ball every play, but gets no glory when things go well.

Almost all warehouses and manufacturing facilities induct and ship out almost everything — all inventory, finished goods, incoming raw materials, outgoing shipments make their way through the dock area. This makes the dock area uniquely critical to the success of most every shipment. It’s the conduit between your operation and the world beyond. This means finding ways to improve operations in the dock area can yield positive results for almost any business.

Whether your operation processes 10 pallets or 10,000 packages a day, you can improve the entire operation by optimizing dock operations.

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