As a plant engineer or safety manager, it is your responsibility to maintain a safe environment for your employees and visitors. One of the best ways to achieve this goal is to minimize dangers that lead to slips and falls. With falls accounting for more injuries and deaths than any other type of warehouse mishap, fall protection should top the list of important topics to cover during on-boarding, training, and regular staff meetings. Below are the eight most common warehouse problems that increase the risk of falling and some simple steps you can take to address them.
Why is fall protection so important in a warehouse environment?
"Falls are among the most common causes of serious work related injuries and deaths. Employers must set up the work place to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls."
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Ignoring the importance of fall protection can lead to unsafe working conditions, employee injuries, and costly penalties issued by OSHA and other regulatory agencies. Despite this myriad of unpleasant consequences, many employers do not devote sufficient attention to fall protection.
In fact, fall protection violations ranked number on the list of OSHA's most frequently violated standards with 7,270 violations in 2018. Considering that OSHA recently increased the maximum penalty for single violations to $12,934 and repeat violations to $129,336, your company cannot afford NOT to make fall protection a top priority.
Learn more about the '8 Common Warehouse Problems that Increase the Risk of Falling' here.