How Can Human Error Impact Forklift & Warehouse Safety?

According to the National Safety Council, the warehousing sector is responsible for the most preventable fatal accidents, second to the construction industry. There are many different reasons as to why this might be, including human error. Human error could involve a wide range of different tasks and activities throughout the warehouse, from machine operation to warehouse aching assembly. So how else can human error impact forklift and warehouse safety as a whole?

Tiredness & fatigue

Overworking and not getting enough sleep is a sure way of making mistakes at work. This is even more important in the warehouse as there are several different hazards involved that wouldn’t be an issue in an office or another industry. It’s important that operators are alert when behind the wheel of a forklift and other pieces of warehouse equipment. If a worker is feeling tired or fatigued, then it’s likely that they’ll make mistakes along the way, some of which can prove to be fatal. Ensure that your employees are well-rested and appear to be alert whilst on shift.

Leaving items on floors, in aisles or in doorways

It might be that someone doesn’t know where items are stored or perhaps they become distracted along the way, but it’s not unheard of for people to leave boxes, stock and even inventory in walkways. This could, in turn, cause slips, trips and falls to occur. It’s important that inventory is put away in the right place so they can be easily accessible by all. Items should never be left on floors, in doorways or be used as a doorstop. This is a hazard to the general health and safety of your employees, whether they’re on foot or behind the wheel of a piece of warehouse equipment, such as a forklift.

Warehouse racking collapsing or toppling

When you purchase warehouse racking, you must ensure that you have someone competent on hand to assemble it all for you. This then needs to be attached and anchored to walls and floors so as to ensure it doesn’t collapse under the weight of your stock or topple over. Usually, those who sell warehouse racking offer a fitting service for your absolute peace of mind.

If, however, you have decided not to opt for this service, then it’s important that the racking is fitted expertly so as to prevent the aforementioned accidents from happening. If you don’t hire a competent person to do this for you, then someone else might not think to anchor the racking to the floor and/or walls, leading to a potentially fatal hazard.

Straining, spraining & other ergonomic injuries

Manual warehouse work can be physically challenging, whether your employees are seasoned workers or brand new in the field, if they continue to carry out manual labour on a regular basis, they’ll begin to feel the effects. Employees could strain themselves or sprain parts of the body, like wrists and even ankles during heavy lifting.

Ergonomic injuries could also include a wealth of different issues, such as sitting for long periods of time in forklift chassis and not using equipment correctly. All of the aforementioned things could cause injury over time. Make sure people are fully-trained in how to lift heavy loads and how to use the equipment in the right manner to avoid any accidents.

Not having the right training or not being up-to-date with training

It is imperative that all of your warehouse employees are aware of the right practices in and around the premises. This is because training includes teaching employees about safety procedures together with how to correctly, and safely, operate the equipment and machinery. This is why all of your workers need to have the right training for the job, but they also need to be completely up to date with it all. This is because safety rules and guidelines change from time to time, so it’s important that everyone is well-versed in what to do at all times.

Experience a lapse in, or lack of, concentration

Your workers are not robots. They will become tired whilst on the job, but this could lead to a lapse in concentration. As a result, forklift operators could be involved in accidents. It could include driving the forklift into walls, racking or other pieces of equipment, driving the forklift into pedestrians, toppling the forklift or going over speed limits.

It could also be that they take the forklift somewhere it’s not designed for, like a diesel forklift indoors or down a narrow aisle. Check in with your employees from time to time just to see how they’re doing. If they seem tired, then don’t give them the duty of operating heavy equipment.

Reckless behaviour

There might be some instances where you have workers who might perform their roles in a reckless manner. It could be anything from misusing the equipment to driving the forklift too quickly. Either way, heavy machinery is being used for something it shouldn’t be and was never designed for. Sooner or later, it could result in an accident involving themselves or somebody else. Make sure they’re fully-trained and understand the risks of behaving recklessly in the warehouse.

Not knowing the load or weight capacity of the forklift being operated

When it comes to operating a forklift, the operator needs to know the weight and load capacity of the machine they’re using. This, again, is something they’ll learn to identify through their training. If they use it for something that’s too heavy, it could irreversibly damage the forklift. You’ll therefore have to replace the entire machine, which can be costly. Make sure that your material handling equipment operators know the limits of the machine they’re required to use, whether it be a forklift, a reach truck, an order picker or even a stacker.

Failing to follow safety procedures

We’ve already touched on the importance of training, which will also include safety procedures to follow. Make sure they know and understand the safety guidelines, together with the importance of following them to the absolute letter. If your employees fail to follow the safety procedures, it could cause harm, serious injury or even a fatality. All warehouse workers need to follow safety rules and guidelines to prevent the aforementioned.

Multy Lift has over three decades of experience in the material handling industry, providing customers with high-quality warehouse equipment that stands the test of time. From forklifts and reach trucks to mezzanine flooring and warehouse racking, we’ll have your every warehouse need covered. For further information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our expert team – we’re always pleased to hear from you.