Workplace Risk Assessment Checklist for Warehouses
A workplace risk assessment checklist is a must-have safety management tool. Through a safety audit, warehouse managers can identify potential hazards and assess risks within the warehouse.
That way, they will be able to prevent accidents and other disasters that may occur during warehouse operations. Warehouses can do so by reducing the risks through the implementation of effective control measures.
As such, all warehouse managers are required by law to have detailed workplace risk assessment checklists to use when conducting a safety audit.
Besides risk assessments, employers should conduct workplace health & safety audits regularly as this promotes positive wellbeing among employees working in a warehouse.
Designing a Workplace Risk Assessment Checklist
When designing a workplace risk assessment checklist, there are several things that you should put into consideration that will determine the effectiveness of the safety audit.
Define All Key Terms
Ensure terms such as risk, accident, hazard, and any other keywords used in the checklist are well-defined. This will help you avoid unnecessary confusion during or after conducting a warehouse risk assessment.
Consider Both The Interior & Exterior Sections Of The Warehouse
A good workplace risk assessment checklist should focus on evaluating areas within and outside the warehouse. Your workers wont have to worry about their safety when at the workplace.
The Risk Assessment Process5 Major Steps
Having a risk assessment checklist is just the first step. You need to know how you can conduct an effective safety audit within the warehouse. Here are some basic steps to follow:
Step 1: Spot the Hazard
A hazard is any object or situation that has the potential to cause harm. Identifying hazards can be easy or difficult depending on your work environment.
One of the ways that you use to identify hazards is through inspections. Ensure that you speak to your workers to see if certain pieces of equipment are operating as they should.
Step 2: Determine Who Will Be Harmed By the Hazard
Step 3: Evaluate the Risks & Determine an Effective Control Measure
For the safety of your workers, all risks that have been identified must be eliminated. Alternatively, you can look for effective control measures that can mitigate the risks.
Step 4: Record Your Findings
The findings should be a summary of everything that is covered in Step 1 to Step 3. As such, the summary must contain the risks identified, those affected, and the control measures that you have come up with.
Recording your risk assessment findings is mandatory for all workplaces with five or more employees.
Step 5: Review the Assessment and Make Necessary Updates
You should make necessary updates to the workplace risk assessment checklist regularly, especially after making changes to your work environment. This will help you counter future hazards before they harm people in the workplace.
Advanced Consulting & Training Workplace Risk Assessments & Evaluations
Workplace risk assessments play a crucial role in workplace health & safety as it ensures the employees are not only safe but also content and happy with their work environment. Before conducting a safety audit, ensure that you determine all the important factors that you intend to cover.
At Advanced Consulting & Training, our risk assessments and evaluations help you identify hazards and risk factors that could potentially harm the wellbeing and seafety of your workers. Our team will provide you with effective solutions so that you can work towards a safer workplace for you and your workers.
If youre interested in working with Advanced Consulting & Training for your next warehouse risk assessment in Ottawa, contact our team!