Health and Safety Management in the Warehouses - Essay Example

 Health and Safety Management in Warehouses Table of Contents Part I I Title ………………………………………………………………………….. 3 II Aims of Investigation ………………………………………………………... 3 III Rationale – Reason for the Study ……………………………………………. 3 IV Proposed Plan of Work ………………………………………………………. 4 V Outline of Methodology ……………………………………………………... 5 VI Scope and Limitation ………………………………………………………… 6 Part II VIII Literature ……………………………………………………………………... 7 Part III IX Short Introduction ……………………………………………………………. 10 X Findings ……………………………………………………………………… 11 XI Recommendation …………………………………………………………….. 15 XII. Conclusion ……………………………………………………………..…….. 17 Appendix I – Causation of Total Injuries (BAE and Non-BAE) ………………………... 18 Appendix II – Total Injuries to all Employees (BAE and Non-BAE) …………………… 19 References ………………………………………………………………………………… 20 Proposal Title: Health and Safety Management in the Warehouses Aim: The aim of this research study is to determine the importance of Health and Safety Management in Warehouses as well as to know specific strategies that could promote the safety of Warehouse workers. Rationale / Reason for the study: It is important to learn about the health and safety law. Knowing the basic rules on health and safety minimizes possible accidents within the warehouse environment. The written law and its procedures should be inspected in order to cut down on problems related to physical injuries. Another reason for the study is for us to learn about the outcomes of the theory related to health and safety module. I chose this topic because of my work experience. I have been working in warehouses for more than 12 years already. I would like to use my expertise in completing this paper. Proposed Plan of work: Outline methodology: Literature review is important part of the research study. Therefore, the first step in doing this paper is to gather some available related journals and pamphlets. The next step is to conduct a survey by interviewing BAE workers working in a warehouse environment. Conducting the interview must be short and direct to the point since most of these people are busy working. For the survey, the researcher has gathered a total of 17 respondents working in a Warehouse setting. Each of them was personally interviewed by the author prior to the distribution and completion of the survey sheets. The survey forms were randomly distributed to these people. As soon as the survey sheets were completed, the author tallied the responses in order to come up with a concrete result. Based on the interview and survey, the study will tell about the workforce’s ideas and opinion regarding the safety procedures on proper lifting and handling that has been implemented within their working environment. The study will also tell us their personal opinion and suggestions on how the company could minimize the occurrence of physical injury caused by mishandling. Scope and Limitation The literature side will cover general facts and ideas about the Health and Safety policy that has been designed and implemented for Warehouses by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). A list of existing warehousing safety regulations will also be covered wherein some of it will be discussed. Based on the report coming from BAE Systems, majority of physical injury that has been encountered by their employees is due to handling, lifting, and carrying. (See Appendix I) For this reason, the survey for this paper will focus on the importance of Health and Safety practices particularly on the use of proper lifting and handling aids in warehouses. Literature In United Kingdom countries, it is a standard operating procedure for all warehouses to follow the health and safety standards that is set by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The inspection and enforcement of health and safety in these warehouses is the main responsibility of the local authorities and HSE. (Health and Safety Executive, 1992) Each year, one or two employees die from warehouse incidents while others are disabled. (Sheppard, 2003) A lot of physical injuries are caused by racks, stacks and pallet which occupy the workplace up to ceiling high. Some of which may contain hazardous or flammable materials. It is a rule that businesses employing more than 5 people must impose a written statement regarding the health and safety of the workers. (Health and Safety Executive, 1992) The policy statement should be included in the leaflet or booklet about the general health and safety applied in warehousing. Among the common health and safety legislations for warehouses are: the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulation 1998; Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998; Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988; Noise at Work Regulation 1989; Protection of Eyes Regulations 1974; Pressure Systems and Transportable Gas Containers Regulations 1989; Highly Flammable Liquids and Liquefied Petroleum Gases Regulations 1972; Reporting of Injuries and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985; Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981; Fire Precautions Act 1971; Control of Major Accident Hazards (CIMAH) Regulations in 1984; Dangerous Substances Regulations 1990; and the Safety Signs Regulations 1980. (Health and Safety Executive, 1992; Barking & Dagenham, 2005) Under the HSE provisions, it is the legal duty of each employer to inform the workers of the health and safety (H&S) procedures within the warehouse premises and ensure their safety by providing them a safe and healthy working environment. H&S information can be transferred to them with the use of posters within the workplace or by distributing HSE approved leaflets. Similarly, under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR) it is the legal duty of employers to report in writing any incidence of accidents, dangerous occurrences and occupational diseases to their enforcing authority. (Riddor, 2007) HR Department of each company should screen, assess and select the applicants properly. Employers are expected to provide the employees with ‘health and safety trainings.’ According to Barking & Dagenham (2005), proper training given to employees prior to the use of dangerous equipments such as machines or lift trucks minimizes the occurrence of physical injury and accidents. As a standard operating procedure, all warehouses are obliged to follow the first-aid provisions under the Health and Safety Regulations 1981. At least one qualified person in the workplace should be appointed to record and be in-charge in case of emergency. First-aid kit should be available at all times. The workplaces should be properly designed and layout to prevent accidents. The basic warehouse design and layout should include emergency exits, accessible storage area, proper ventilation, lighting with a separate passable traffic routes for pedestrian and vehicles. (HSE, 2007) Stacking of goods in the pallet should keep its balance in case of pallet transfer to prevent accident like fall. In the absence of a truck lifter, proper body mechanics should be applied when carrying heavy objects. This will prevent and minimize strains and sprains. Seeking help is advisable in case there is a need to carry manually a heavy load. Electrical safety must also be given importance to prevent possible fire. A competent electrician should install and maintain the electrical equipment and systems within the work area. Substances that are hazardous to health should be properly controlled through proper labelling such as ‘very toxic’, ‘toxic’, ‘corrosive’, ‘flammable’, ‘harmful’ or ‘irritant.’ Employees should report any incidence of leaks from chemical packages or containers and accident spillage. Short Introduction According to HSE, most of the warehouse problems that was reported back in 2001/2002 came from handling (38%). (HSE, 2006) Injuries related to handling lasts up to 3 days. These are caused by manual handling of heavy loads. It also includes transporting or supporting heavy loads by hand or the force of the body. (HSE, 2006) Physical injury due to mishandling, lifting or carrying is a serious Health and Safety issue that not all individuals are aware of. Based on 2005 report, 23.81% and 29.84% of BAE Systems employee and non-BAE System employees are experiencing or has suffered from physical injuries caused by handling, lifting and carrying respectively. (See Appendix I - Causation of Total Injuries) A survey was conducted in order to know more details about how the top management of BAE warehouses / businesses implement programmes and strategies to protect the health, safety and wellness of the workers in the warehouse department. By analyzing the result of the survey and interviews conducted by the author, we will get to more of the workers’ perception and opinion on how we can minimize and prevent physical injuries caused by mishandling. Finding: Based on the survey, 100% of the respondents receive proper trainings and guidance on Health and Safety practices. All of them are aware of the importance of this Health and Safety procedures. In fact, these people are knowledgeable of the fact that mishandling can cause a serious physical injury such as comma, amputation of limbs and even death to some people. It is good to know that the company they are working with provides them with basic powered and non-powered equipment which could lessen and prevent the probability that these people would suffer from a physical injury. The company where the respondents are employed have invested in lifting and handling aids for a safe relocation and transport of heavy and bulky items around the warehouse area. There are a lot of powered trucks and trolleys to choose from when transferring heavy load from one place to another. Each of these powered trucks and trolleys have its own specific uses. For instance, fork-lift trucks are used in carrying heavy loads like bags of cement, sack of rice, boxes loaded with finished products, piles of papers and other items that are properly loaded on a pallet. (HSE, 2005) On the other hand, a ‘drum or heel rotator’ is used for transferring bales, reels, barrels, drums, paper rolls and other cylindrical objects. (HSE, 2005) The ‘drum or heel rotator’ rotates up to 360 degrees depending on the need on how the item should be stored. Normally, a battery-operated truck is used for storing small or medium size equipments in warehouses. It can also be used in transferring ordered items from the warehouse to area where the product will be delivered. Among the type of power trucks, trolleys and vehicles these company have invested on includes 65% fork-lift truck and 31% battery operated truck. The remaining 4% was not mentioned in the survey sheet. Aside from the use of a powered trucks and trolleys, non-powered trucks and trolleys are also use as lifting and carrying aids. The platform of hydraulic lifts can be lowered or raised. It is used to support, lift as well as moving heavy or bulky objects. Trucks with hydraulic lifter are useful equipments for loading an object, positioning working materials and for transporting of personnel. The type of lifting equipment varies depending on the style of the platform, the mounting style and the type material to be moved. Examples of lifts include table lifts, personnel lifts, dock lifts, fork lifts and pallet lifts. (IQS, 2007) Other non-powered equipment includes keg truck, pallet tilter, pallet truck, and shelf trolley. A keg truck is used to manually lift and transport an object. The pallet titler with hydraulic lift is capable of lifting and tilting a maximum load of 1,364 kilogram (Kg) on a full 90 degrees. (GWJ Company, 2006) A pallet truck is use when moving a heavy pallet loads without the use of a fork truck. Pallet trucks are considered as a manual version of fork lift trucks. A shelf trolley is useful for transporting light to medium weight objects within a short range of distance. The company where the respondents are working also owns non-powered trucks, trolleys, and aids. A total of 68% mentioned that their company provides them pallet trucks for transferring of bulk items in a pallet, 20% are using shelf trolley for transferring piles of paper and other documents, 8% are using truck with hydraulic lift while the remaining 4% is not declared. Tracks, conveyors, slides, clutches and roller balls are used by large manufacturing companies. Examples of these equipments are ball, table and rollers, in-line weighing, roller track, gravity rollers and conveyor with turn table. (HSE, 2005) These conveyors are used to directly transfer goods from one machine after another. Since conveyors are normally produced with a Programmable Logic Controllers to control and direct the flow of products, warehouse personnel need not spend most of their time on transporting objects. (Siggins, 2007) Some of these companies have installed some tracks and roller balls. Based on the survey gathered, 83% of respondents reported that the company they work with are using roller tracks when transferring pallets of heavy stuff and 17% relies on the use of ball table & rollers. Among the 17 respondents, 95% are aware the mishandling can lead to musculoskeletal disorders. Only 5% are not aware that mishandling can lead to serious physical injuries. Despite the fact that there are few who have limited knowledge on the risks that are attached with improper handling, all of the respondents declared that they consider their working area (Warehouse) as a safe environment. Despite the fact that warehouse personnel consider their workplace as a safe environment, there are still some areas that need to be addressed. Notice that majority of them depends highly on the use of fork lift truck (65%) and pallet truck (68%). It means that in the absence of fork lift truck; these people would depend on the use of the pallet truck. We have mentioned earlier that pallet truck is considered as manual version of a fork lift truck. Human forces are required with the use of a pallet truck. It means the load/weight of an object to be carried on a pallet truck should be carefully observe because the use of a pallet truck can cause physical injury due to pushing, pulling and supporting ‘heavy load’ with hands and body weight. Recommendations To minimize the risk of physical injury, I would recommend that warehouse personnel should avoid manual handling as much as possible. These people should make it a habit to use the available equipments and handling aids like a truck lifter, conveyor, a pallet truck or even a shelf trolley. In line with the use of mechanical and automated handling equipments, it is highly recommended that the health and safety department must regularly check on the qualifications and knowledge of the personnel in handling the machine. This way, unnecessary accidents can be prevented and avoided. Also, there should be a good monitoring system regarding the use of the available equipments. A log book will serve as a useful tool for monitoring and tracing the people who are using these equipments. Unauthorized personnel should not be allowed to use the equipment like fork lift truck in order to prevent possible accidents. Other recommended solutions to the problem includes giving a regular health and safety trainings and briefing on safety provisions related to the correct use of the available handling machines and equipments. In case a regular training is too costly for the company, at least refresher trainings should be provided at least once a month. Aside from trainings, the use of posters and other display material should be posted around the warehouse area. This will serve as a health and safety reminder to those who are on duty. The top management should implement good health and safety policy. In fact, there should always be an open communication between the health and safety officers and warehouse personnel. Managers together with the help of engineers must strictly implement a maximum load on each type of equipment. This is important because ‘overloading’ often results to accidents. Conclusion Based on the BAE Systems report as of 2005, the company has been very successful in cutting down the number injuries on both BAE and non-BAE employees from 9,355 to 6,396 in 2002 and 2005 respectively. (See Appendix II - Total Injuries to all Employees on BAE and Non-BAE Employees) Health and safety issue related to handling should be given priority. It is the duty of employers to ensure the safety of the employees. Therefore, employers need to know the main causes of physical injury which will help them come up with prioritization of the health and safety problems and useful strategies in solving the major concerns. On the other hand, warehouse personnel have a role to play in the implementation of the health and safety rules and provisions. Workers are responsible in protecting their own health and overall wellness by strictly following the regulations that has been implemented by the company. Therefore, a good working relationship between the employers and employee is very important in making the warehouse environment a safe workplace. *** End *** Read More