From the simplest cold and flu season to the most widespread global pandemic, keeping your warehouse staff and customers safe from disease is paramount in any given warehouse.

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that only food service and delicate products need to be given germ-free storage, but the need for safety crosses across all warehouse types and boundaries. No matter what industries you serve or what sort of products you deal in, there are certain steps you can take to ensure that your workers and products aren’t exposed to infectious diseases, and this includes keeping the right supplies on hand to fight germs.

Through careful use of the right types of warehouse shelving and other needed supplies, you can greatly reduce the risk of germs spreading to your workers, your products, or even your end customer.

Warehouse Supplies to Fight Infection

The proper tools to prevent the spread of disease through warehouses can take many forms, but they all serve one purpose, preventing germs from being spread from your products to your workers, customers, or logistics partners.

These supplies can include:

Sanitation masks and protective equipment: Once thought to be the province of food storage and pharmaceutical work, many warehouses can benefit from providing medical-grade sanitary equipment to their workers, especially in times of easily transmitted illness. As available, make sure your most high-touch employees (pickers, shipping/receiving teams, etc) are given medical-grade masks, gloves, and even goggles as needed to cut down on the risk of diseases spreading from your products to your team or your customers.

Germ-resistant storage: Once your workers are more secure from infections, you can also take steps to make sure your storage solutions themselves are secure. Using germ free plastic shelving or germ resistant steel shelving in high-traffic areas can prevent germs from being able to grow and spread from point-to-point. These shelves are best kept in areas like packaging and receiving where they may come into the most contact with your workers during the product shipping process.

Disinfectant supplies: For shelves and storage that can’t be so easily switched out for the germ-free alternative, provide your team with disinfectant wipes and sprays at each of their work stations, and set a schedule for frequent wipe downs of the entire surface.

Secure storage for personal goods: Preventing things like coats and personal effects from coming into direct contact with one another can work to lessen the impact of potential illness being brought in from the outside. Provide personal lockers for your team during their shift to help lessen the transfer of germs or allergens from the outside.

No matter how severe the illness of the season may be, providing a few of these safety implements to your team can have a major and immediate impact on the safety of your workers and your overall productivity.