Occupational health and safety for warehouses

Warehouses play an important role when it comes to the reception, delivery and storage of various types of goods and warehousing plays a critical role in ensuring high levels of customer services and overall supply chain performance. The risk assessment and management process has taken nowadays a great importance. A warehouse which is well-organized, safe and efficiently managed is a key element in all operational activities. Due to the complex scenarios that may occur, as well as the heterogeneous nature of the goods, warehouses bear a higher risk of accidents, hence the need to define a series of Safety standards in this respect. At first, we started studying with identification of risk factors in warehouses. To identify risk factors, I have reviewed all publications and reports of The USA, England, Canada and Singapore institution of occupational health and safety, which are top of lists of World Bank LPI and articles. Results of analyzing have shown that slips, trips and fall, work at height, material handling, electric system, fire and explosion, chemical substances and chemical spills, loading and unloading areas, storage systems, vehicles in and around the warehouse and others (vibration, noise, lighting and thermal stress) are risk factors that mostly found in warehouses. Also the risk factors are responsible of 32% of occupational deaths in Turkey. Warehouses are dangerous places for workers. A number of people injure and die because of unsafe warehouse. On the other hand effect of accidents are costly due to their damage to workers, unıts and merchandise. Unless warehouses are provided with preventive measures, serious effects can occur for workers and environment, especially when chemical substance are stored. Occupational Health and Safety measures for warehouses are simple, cheap and life-saving.