Safety is paramount in any warehouse, no matter who you work with or what products you store.

From food storage to bulky consumer goods, warehouse workers can find themselves facing a lot of dangerous conditions and risks. These risks can come from both the items being handled and the warehouse itself, with all the traffic and bustle that goes on inside.

No matter what sort of work your team does, or what items they handle, there’s always the need for safety. Here’s five pieces of protective gear that every warehouse worker – and every warehouse – can benefit from:

 

Material handling gloves

A lot of warehouse managers initially think gloves are only for food storage. While food storage requires the right gloves (and the right germ-resistant food storage shelves) to prevent the spread of contaminants, material handling gloves can actually help reduce the risk of stress injury in your staff and help them transport items more securely. Make sure whatever team members you have that are most involved with the actual picking or transport of items have the right gloves for the job to protect their skin and hands from damage.

 

Labels and signage

Protective gear goes beyond equipment that your workers wear, and can include items for the safety of the entire warehouse such as proper labeling and signage. By keeping your warehouse properly labeled, you can avoid accidents and traffic snarls by providing clear directions and visual indicators as to which products are stored where. Use shelf label holders to protect these labels and keep them easily visible to all workers while they go about their day.

 

Pallet rack guards

Speaking of protection, pallet rack safety guards can work double duty by protecting both your workers and your inventory from damage. By installing safety guards and safety netting on each of your pallet rack shelves, you can prevent items from overhanging the edge of your shelves and/or falling off and potentially injuring one of your workers. These racks can help you maintain proper weight and spacing on your racks, further promoting product and worker safety by avoiding rack damage or overuse.

 

Rack post protectors

Similarly, protecting the sides of your pallet racks and warehouse shelves can help you create a safer overall warehouse environment for your workers and inventory. Using rack post protectors can reduce the risk of damage to your shelves and inventory, as well as injury to your staff by reducing the chance of items falling off and injuring a worker.

 

Proper posture

Finally, one of the best ways to keep your warehouse staff working their best and safe from injury is through proper posture. Never let workers lift anything over their head without the use of tools like forklifts, provide workbenches and desks at the appropriate height to encourage good posture and reduce back strain, and set up gravity conveyors to prevent your workers from having to bend at unnatural angles to retrieve items.