An employer’s responsibility is to maintain the health, safety and welfare of all employees and visitors to the warehouse.
Section 2 of the HASAWA, 1974 states that:
“General duties of employers to their employees.
- It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees
- Without prejudice to the generality of an employer’s duty under the preceding subsection, the matters to which that duty extends include —
- The provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health
- Arrangements for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances
- The provision of such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of his employees
- So far as is reasonably practicable as regards any place of work under the employer’s control, the maintenance of it in a condition that is safe and without risks to health and the provision and maintenance of means of access to and egress from it that are safe and without such risks
- The provision and maintenance of a working environment for his employees that is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe, without risks to health, and adequate in regards to facilities and arrangements for their welfare at work.” (HASAWA, 1974)
As far as is reasonably practicable (weighing the risk against time, money and effort), employers must ensure the following:
- The provision of safe equipment, e.g. Fork Lift Trucks, cranes and racking etc
- The warehouse is a safe place of work, for all employees and visitors e.g. supplier/delivery drivers
- The provision of a safe entrance and exit from a warehouse
- Safe systems of work, i.e. tasks must be carried out safely using clearly defined processes and procedures that ensure the safety of all warehouse personnel
- A healthy working environment e.g. well-lit and ventilated
- Welfare arrangements, e.g. washing facilities, somewhere to change clothing, a separate area for eating and a First Aid centre
- The provision of appropriate education and training – employers should instruct and train all their employees, should provide appropriate information on health and safety matters and should display relevant notices, regulations and warning signs
- Adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Effective arrangements for the safe use, handling, storage and transport of materials and substances used throughout the warehouse.
It is expected that employers develops a health and safety policy. This is a written statement which should comprise a minimum of the following three key elements:
- A statement demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to health and safety
- An allocation of responsibilities for health and safety within the organisation
- Details of how specific activities and functions related to health and safety should be managed (Risk Assessments, First Aid details, Work equipment).
The H&S policy statement must be kept up-to-date and communicated effectively to all employees.
A H&S policy specific to a warehouse should cover the following points:
- Equipment must be suitable, i.e. suited to the purpose for which it will be used, properly maintained and of a design and construction so that it will operate safely
- Access to equipment should be restricted to trained users
- Personnel using equipment should be adequately trained and training records maintained
- Dangerous equipment should be fitted with appropriate guards
- Specified hazards should be minimised, i.e. the employer should take steps to prevent or minimise material falling from equipment, material being ejected from machinery, parts of the equipment breaking off, equipment overheating or catching fire
- Workers should be protected from surfaces which are extremely hot or cold
- Equipment should be fitted with suitable stop controls
- Equipment should be able to be isolated from its energy source
- Equipment should be stabilised where necessary
- Sufficient lighting should be provided
- Equipment should carry all relevant warnings
- Maintenance of equipment should be carried out safely and records suitably maintained.