Even during the best of circumstances, managing air flow, ventilation, and temperature in a warehouse can be a daunting task – but add COVID-19 to the mix, and everything goes right out the window.

(Figuratively speaking, of course.)

As doctors and experts gain a better understanding of how COVID-19 is spread and transferred, the ‘best practices’ and methods for beating it seem to change by the day.

The one thing, however, everyone seems to agree on when it comes to preventing the spread of coronavirus is proper air flow. Since droplets seem to be the most common form of communicating the disease (hence the masks we’re all sporting these days), one of the best ways of helping to combat their transmission is to allow for proper air flow into and out of your warehouse. Even something as simple as fresh air and proper ventilation can go a long way towards keeping your workers safer from dangerous illnesses – but in the crowded confines of your average warehouse, that can be a tall order.

Safe Air Flow In Warehouses

At this point, especially during the warmer months, you’ve probably already tried the usual techniques, such as putting fans everywhere. While that’s always a good start, it’s unfortunately not the end of the issue.

Air flow in warehouses is a tricky subject – there’s a lot of stuff in a warehouse, and stuff tends to be the natural enemy of air flow. One of the best things you can do right now is just space everything apart. As able, widen your aisleways and move your pallet racks far enough away to help fresh air move through the warehouse more easily, whether you’re able to open a window or you’re just relying on your ventilators.

Speaking of ventilation, shelves can be one of the biggest obstacles to airflow in a warehouse. Our need to make sure our warehouses can hold the maximum amount of stuff they possibly can tends to get in the way of, well, everything else, and that can be a problem if you’re trying to let air move through your warehouse. Take careful stock of your current warehouse shelving and other installations, and make sure none of them are directly in front of a needed fan or vent. It probably won’t be fun trying to move everything around, but the health, comfort, and safety benefits will be more than worth it in the long run.

Even if they’re not directly in front of a ventilator, the sort of shelves you use can also pose a problem. Make sure there’s enough space between pallets on your racks, and try to use more open shelving like wire shelves to let air move in and out, even if they’re all full of items.

Finally, the vents themselves should be taken care of. Right now, filters are more important than ever to prevent anything coming in (or out) of your warehouse that might affect your workers’ air quality. Schedule frequent maintenance and replacement of air filters to ensure the air being moved through your warehouse is as clean and safe as it can be for the betterment of your workers, and the safety of your products and goods.

With a little rearranging and foresight, you can keep your team and your products as safe as possible!