If you are considering expanding and setting up your own warehouse then there is a huge amount that you will need to consider. The main issues than an SME will need to think about include health and safety, employees and finding logistics companies to arrange your deliveries for you.
Health & Safety
It is no secret that warehouses can be dangerous places to work. A few of the major dangers here include injury through heavy lifting, slips and trips, falling objects, vehicles in and around the warehouse, lighting, hazardous substances, fire and working at a height. So, how can you go about minimising risk?
The first thing to do will be to carry out a risk assessment where you establish the risks to the health of employees working in the warehouse. This will help you to identify ways in which you can eliminate or reduce the risk of any kind of incident from occurring.
A few common steps that can be taken include investing in equipment to handle the heavy lifting, making sure that the warehouse is kept clean and clutter free and identifying traffic routes which are kept clear. In terms of fire safety, there must be smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and fire escapes as well as a procedure to follow.
Staff
Following on from this, it is vital that any employee in the warehouse is properly trained. In addition to streamlining the operation, this will also promote health and safety by making sure that work is carried out properly and safely.
There are many different roles in the warehouse so you need to make sure that you are hiring the right people for the job, making sure that training is provided and that people are not carrying out work that they are not trained for.
Another important aspect when it comes to staff is opening communication – make it easy for employees to communicate to increase efficiency whilst also boosting health and safety. Regular meetings where people are made aware of what is happening each day and using walkie-talkies are both effective ways to do this.
Logistics
Finally, you will want to find a reputable logistics company that will be able to sort your deliveries for you, such as National Pallets. This ensures that everything goes smoothly and could be crucial in growing your business. This can be a complicated side of the operation so it is always best left to the professionals.
Setting up your own warehouse can be a huge step as an expanding SME, but there are many considerations to make. These can be busy, stressful and dangerous places to be so you need to take a few steps to make sure that the operation will run smoothly, safely and efficiently.
