At Assent, our health and safety consultants regularly audit warehouses against health and safety criteria including ISO 45001.
Operating a safe warehouse environment requires a combination of well maintained equipment and safe working practices, supported by monitoring and housekeeping activities.
Read More about Warehouse Risk Management.
As part of a warehouse audit, our consultants will:
- View maintenance records of forklift trucks, pallet trucks and vehicles.
- View maintenance records of safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, alarms and lifting equipment.
- Walk the site observing work processes including manual handling, lifting, visitor management and pedestrian walkways.
- Walk the site observing environmental risks such as water run off to drains and waste management.
Here are some of our most common findings from warehouse audits:
1. Fire Extinguishers not Maintained
It’s an auditor’s favourite, but finding at least one fire extinguisher that has not been maintained is common during warehouse audits. Often these are in locked areas such as a server room, where engineers can not easily access them.
2. First Aid Kits Used or Empty
First aid kits are also easily accessible to auditors and should be fully stocked.
Some items within a first aid kit have an expiry date so these should be regularly checked.
3. Racking Damaged & Safety Pins Missing
Racking can easily be hit by forklifts or damaged through general use. Damage to the upright bars can be reduced by installing guards on the floor, while any missing safety pins should be replaced to reduce the risk of horizontal bars being dislodged during use.
Regular visual inspections are vital to maintaining safe racking, while encouraging staff to report damage and a regular SEMA inspection also helps.
4. Unstable Loads at Height
Goods stowed at height should be secure using the correct pallet size for the racking and contents should be shrink wrapped or boxed to prevent items from falling.
5. Bund Pallets Filled with Water
Warehouses often store chemicals and other liquids such as diesel, AdBlue and screenwash for use by vehicles. Drains and run-off areas should be protected to prevent environmental impacts.
Often a bund pallet is used to catch any leakage, however where these are stored outside they can often become filled with rain water, meaning they will not be as effective when they are required.
In the case of diesel, specific Oil Storage Regulations are in place.
Warehouse Safety & Environmental Audits
Our experienced health & safety consultants can provide a full warehouse audit including maintenance records, work practices and site observations to ensure your employees are protection and you remain compliant with health & safety legislation.
