A warehouse is the heart and soul of production, and can easily be considered the foundation of any business. An organised warehouse can make all the difference to productivity and, most importantly, safety when managed correctly.
A warehouse is a busy place at the best of times, but peak operating periods can involve higher forklift traffic, larger orders needing to be filled, and a rush to meet deadlines, all contributing to a variety of safety risks.
Maintaining a well-run warehouse requires exceptional warehouse storage and warehouse navigation systems to avoid any potential hazards and accidents. These are just some of the useful elements to warehouse management which we’ll discuss below.
Cleanliness and organisation
The bigger the orders, the busier the warehouse will be, and if not planned correctly, llively periods can easily lead to chaos in a warehouse. Having appropriate warehouse storage, an organised system, and prioritising cleanliness are the first things to consider when running a warehouse. Due to the size of most warehouses, keeping it clean and tidy can seem like an overwhelming mission, but if done correctly it can boost productivity, bolster attention to detail and save costs in the long run. Nobody wants to work in a messy environment, so workers will benefit from higher job satisfaction too. This can be tackled by starting small and looking at:
Warehouse layout – check if the floor upholds the correct safety standards and does not entice any potential risks.
Stringent cleaning practises – train staff and ensure that everyone is carrying out regular cleaning and maintenance checks. A proper warehouse storage system – appropriate labeling, signage and sustaining a thorough inventory system will be hugely beneficial to proper warehouse management,
Forecasting potential pitfalls
Whether it’s beginning a new large order or doing inventory, identifying possible risks and hazards before any task is important for instilling good warehouse safety. Making small tweaks such as evaluating procedures and creating checklists can be a good place to start.
Peak periods can mean a higher risk of accidents. It’s imperative to regularly assess how to avoid accidents happening and whether your warehouse needs different systems in place to help. A warehouse navigation system WNS) is one of the best tools a warehouse can have to ensure warehouse safety. More on this below.
Warehouse Navigation Systems
A warehouse navigation system is a great way to ensure safety and efficiency in your warehouse. Warehouse navigation systems are created with radio-frequency identification (RFID). RFID uses magnetic force to determine and trace objects that have tags on them. Little tiny receivers are planted into the floor of your warehouse to track aisle locations and distances, allowing warehouse forklift operators to take the most accurate route possible.
WNS software allows you to manage your warehouse completely digital and to work efficiency and error-free with little organisational effort. The continuous dialog-guided support of single work steps not only increases process reliability, but also guarantees correct order process in your warehouse. Thanks to extensive statistics and customer-specific real time reports, you always have an excellent overview of your system.
It doesn’t matter whether your warehouse is a large, fully automated warehouse with storage and retrieval machines and conveyor technology or a small manually operated warehouse with a few industrial trucks. Due to the modular concept of our warehouse software, our WMS is specially adapted to your specific requirements –without any additional costs.
WMS Essentials offers you a cost-effective entry solution for digital warehouse management with field-proven processes. WMS grows with you quite comfortably up to the fully comprehensive, intelligent Warehouse Management System.
Consistently evaluate and make improvements
Even if the best safety procedures are in place and safety and productivity are at an all-time high, there’s no room for complacency in warehouse operations. There are always opportunities for improvement and for avoiding risks. Consistently evaluating shifts, tasks and procedures allows for data collection that can be analysed and improved upon. Warehouse managers can use this information not only to improve safety, but work out what is and isn’t working in the warehouse, what machinery requires extra maintenance if shift rotations need to be revised etc. One way of gathering this evaluation data is through regular warehouse inspections.
Regular Inspections
It can be easy to establish and enforce the best procedures and practices daily and still have things slowly fall to the wayside over time. In a busy environment, repetition of tasks can lead to workers becoming fatigued and getting accustomed to the same procedures over and over again, meaning sometimes things get missed. Having regular inspections reinforces the importance of adhering to processes and can inject some motivation into staff that may have become complacent over time. Regular inspections along with excellent warehouse storage and warehouse navigation systems can pave the way for a clean, safe and thriving warehouse.
Ensure machines are regularly serviced
Ensure that all equipment is regularly checked by qualified professionals ensuring all safety checks and log books services are completed and upto date.
To explore more warehouse health and safety services, warehouse storage and warehouse navigation systems, visit Jungheinrich.com.au
