Fundamental of occupational safety
Safety and occupational health professionals are committed to improve the safety and health conditions at workplaces and they do not carry out managerial functions. Safety and occupational health professionals have the power to identify the hazards at the workplace and the power is exercised by carrying out inspections and they should be taken once per month. The safety and occupational health professionals are entitled to the information that regards materials, processes and equipment that are hazardous. Safety and health professionals have the right to be consulted before any testing is undertaken and they should be present at the start of the testing. Safety and occupational health professionals have the power to recommend to the employer on the ways that would improve the safety and health of the work place. Any person who has the authority of hiring, firing or disciplining the employees; or the authority of recommending hiring, disciplining or firing of employees is considered as part of management and for that reason cannot be a safety and occupational health professional.
Inspection will be carried out in the warehouse to identify the possible sources of risks and health hazards including those that the workers themselves cannot be able to identify. The investigations will also be carried out by issuing questionnaires to the workers to fill in the kind of risks and health hazards they encounter in the warehouse. Information will also be obtained from the employer about any potential or actual hazards that are in the warehouse and about the safety and health experience and the work standards and practices in other warehouses which the employer is knowledgeable about. The employer will also reveal the about the tests carried out for safety and health occupation purposes, provide all reports and orders by the inspector from the Ministry of Labour and also check reports on any deaths, illness and injuries that have taken place at the workplace.
Warehouses are among the structures that are very sensitive to temperature. This is for the reasons that some of the warehouses store important materials which require high temperatures or low temperatures. The workers of the warehouses may become uncomfortable if the environment for work is not conducive for too high or too low temperatures and thus the warehouses need components for temperature regulation and among the temperature regulators that are ideal include the warehouse ceiling fans. Installation of warehouse ceiling fans is one of the best options for modulation of temperatures in the warehouses. They work by forcing the cool air downwards and these forces the warm air to go upwards and as a result there is cool air for people and the goods that are within the warehouse. The excess warm air is eliminated and a conducive environment is created for worker to perform their tasks comfortably and for goods to be stored.
The same fans are also helpful in the cold warehouses in which they are used to raise the temperatures. The warm air is forced down and as a result temperatures are raised hence reducing the cold. The ceiling fans should be installed by professionals for the reasons of dangers and technicality that is involved. It can be costly to install the warehouse fans depending of the quality and the size of the fans. The warehouse ceiling fans can be bought from stores or through websites. Comparison of several models is advisable so as to be in a position to know the fans that are most ideal and this can be done online through comparison of the features and qualities of different warehouse ceiling fans that are on sale.
Possible sources of hazards and recommendations
Hand injuries are among the most common injuries that are related to work in the United States. According to the United States Department of Labour Statistics, the hand injuries do account for about 30% of all the worker injuries that are related to work. Many of the injuries could easily be avoided or the severity reduced by using the proper gloves and especially in the warehouses. In most cases, the gloves are paired for the wrong job and this increases the chances of injuries. Purchase and wear of gloves for the right type of work increases productivity and safety of the workers. The appropriate protection of the hands should be chosen with regards to the tasks that are to be performed, the conditions that are present, the duration they are going to be used and the identified or potential hazards that may be encountered.
Materials handling is another area where the management of a warehouse has to take care of so as to avoid accidents. The forklifts trucks usually have high centers of gravity and the can fall over if they are not driven carefully and slowly by authorized and trained operators. Additionally, the materials that are not placed properly on the forks or are wrongly lifted can slip easily and that is a hazard to the workers in the warehouse and also the operator of the forklift. To avoid these hazards, the operator of the forklifts must follow the rules of the warehouse and must also understand their machines well. The other workers in the warehouse must also be on the lookout for the forklifts and most of all stay away when the forklifts are in use. It has been noted that most of the times, risk of fires, explosions, chemical releases and other hazards in a warehouse do occur because they workers are not aware of the materials they are handling and for this reason they do not take proper precautions. The equipments in a warehouse can actually improve the safety of the workers if only they are used correctly and the right attitude for workers will help them to identify the hazards and as a result there will be protection of the workers and others.
The management of warehouses should ensure that the employees have the right tools readily available so as to perform their functions and this can have significant results on the operations and in effect they safety of workers will be taken care of as the workers will not try to improvise on the tools. The time that is wasted by the employees wandering in the warehouse in search of a tape dispenser, a spanner or a pallet jack will be reduced. It is also very important to purchase tools that of high quality so that they can be useful to the workers for a long time. Training the employees is not an expensive affair and this is most likely to have a great return on investment. Warehouse operations that do not have adequate employee training have a high possibility of suffering from safety issues, low productivity, low morale and also lack of control.
Conclusion
The workers in a warehouse should not be so caught up to get materials moved such that they end up forgetting to do it in a safe way. Luckily, the safest way of running a warehouse can also be said to be the most efficient and hence following the safety guidelines and rules is not only a legal requirement but also a good sense. Good housekeeping practice is also one of the best methods of assuring the safety of any warehouse. Warehouses have to be kept neat and clean with every tool, objects and goods at their place. Workers should not block the aisles neither should they leave materials on the ground so as to avoid other people from tripping and falling over. The workers should always be in their protective clothing and also pay attention to the warning signs and other works that are progressing around them. In every action the workers undertake, they should ensure that take the necessary precautions that will keep them and others safe.
References
Frazelle, E. (2002). World-class warehousing and material handling. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Sule, D. (1994). Location, Planning and Design. Manufacturing facilities .
