Goods storage

Problem

Following complaints from employee representatives about unsafe access methods to storage areas in a company, the employer reviewed the arrangements for such work. The company has a large warehouse containing racking where a variety of products from raw materials to finished goods are stored. A variety of tasks take place in the warehouse, including the addition and retrieval of goods, inspection and stocktaking. Concern was expressed that ladders were being used to retrieve heavy and unwieldy goods from racking and this constituted a risk of falls. Some employees had also been seen climbing racking to retrieve products.

Risk assessment/planning and organisation

The employer reviewed warehouse tasks by asking first whether work at height could be avoided. Fork-lift trucks were used to add and retrieve stock from the store and it was found that, by keeping aisles clear, most lifting could be done mechanically therefore removing the need to use ladders or climb racking.

The warehouse layout was reviewed so that frequently accessed smaller items were placed at low level so that they could be manually retrieved without the need to access height. Such areas were placed away from fork-lift truck areas so that segregation between vehicles and pedestrians was achieved.

Mobile stepladders equipped with a guard rail for the steps and working platform were designated suitable for use for inspection and stock taking. They could also be used for the removal of lighter goods that did not constitute a manual handling risk.

Solution

In reviewing the arrangements for work at height in the warehouse, the employer was able to remove most of the need for individuals to work at height by making use of mechanical handling equipment and stepladders. Reorganising the warehouse layout had further reduced the need to access height (ie locating frequently accessed materials at low levels) and residual tasks such as inspection and stocktake could be carried out using access equipment in the form of stepladders.

How was this solution reached?

1. The risk assessment showed that much of the work at height being carried out in the warehouse could be avoided by using a fork-lift truck to retrieve goods mechanically.
2. At the same time, frequently accessed goods were placed at a lower level in order to avoid the need to work at height.
3. Stepladders (which had guard rails and working platforms) were considered suitable for inspection, stocktaking and the removal of lighter goods at height due to the low risk and short duration of such tasks.