Warehouse Dates For The Diary - BSE UK
Warehouse Dates For The Diary
Warehouse Dates For The Diary
A month by month warehouse guide
When you work in a busy warehouse, just keeping on top of the day-to-day work is difficult enough. Add to that the need to schedule in time to meet all your safety obligations, and it’s easy to see how some things can get forgotten.
Take a look at your diary for the coming year and think about how you can plan everything in. If you can tick one thing off your list every month, you’ll find that so much more manageable than reaching June and realising that everything needs to be covered off in a few weeks.
We’ve put together a month-by-month guide. It’s not an actual ‘to do’ list but it will give you an idea of how you can plan for the year ahead. We’ve also included some key dates for your calendar.
March - Staff Reviews
If you’ve all been running around like mad March hares, now’s a great time to review the performance of your staff and give them an opportunity to discuss their role and make suggestions for improvements around the warehouse. Quite often, asking for feedback from the people who are at the front line will throw up really useful ideas.
Notable dates:
6th March Mothering Sunday
25th March Good Friday
27th March Clocks go forward
28th March Easter Monday
April – SEMA Inspections
Don’t be an April fool when it comes to your racking and warehouse storage systems. Make sure you have your racking inspected regularly to ensure it’s safe and compliant. If you’re not qualified to inspect it yourself, we can do it for you. Just give us a call to discuss your SEMA racking inspection.
Notable dates:
1st April April Fools Day
23rd April St George’s Day
May – Emergency Procedures
Mayday, mayday. Do you have proper procedures in place if there’s an emergency in your warehouse? If you work in a large or hazardous site, you’ll probably need a formal process in place that outlines clearly how to raise the alarm in an emergency and where the evacuation and muster points are. You’ll also need to display a detailed site plan showing shut-off valves and electrical isolators.
Notable dates:
2nd May Early May Bank Holiday
30th May Spring Bank Holiday
June – Fire Safety
They don’t call it ‘flaming June’ for nothing. This is a good month to look at your fire safety procedures. Your fire officers need to have a simple system in place to ensure everyone has left the building and all know where to assemble. Regular tests of the fire alarm as well as fire drills should be carried out regularly and properly documented.
Notable dates:
19th June Father’s Day
21st June Health & Safety Expo, London
July – Racking Training
Celebrate Independence Day by making sure everyone knows how to spot warehouse racking problems for themselves and can operate safely. SEMA run regular courses showing delegates how to maintain racking structures and the correct maintenance procedures to follow.
Notable dates:
4th July American Independence Day
August – First Aid
With any luck August will be hot, hot, hot but make sure you don’t get burnt! Ensure your warehouse has the right number of qualified first aiders and that they’re all up to date with their qualifications and record keeping. It’s also a good idea to check that their first aid boxes are restocked and complete ready for any medical emergencies.
Notable dates:
29th August Summer Bank Holiday
September – Health & Safety
Falling leaves are a sign of Autumn but make sure you look at your health and safety procedures to prevent any falls, trips and slips in the warehouse. Keep your floors clean, dry, free of hazards and clear rubbish from walk areas. Where you have steps or mezzanine floors, ensure the steps or edges are marked clearly by floor markers and there are handrails where possible.
October – Manual Handling
Don’t let there be any Halloween horrors like pulled muscles or back injuries in your warehouse. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common occupational illness in Great Britain, affecting one million people a year. Anything from heavy lifting to repetitive order picking can lead to MSD’s so double check that all your staff have had manual handling training and more importantly, that they’re putting it into practice.
Notable dates:
30 October Clocks go back 1 hour
31st October Halloween
November – COSHH
Guy Fawkes might have liked to live dangerously but we don’t have to. If you work with hazardous substances, you need to follow certain procedures as set out by the COSHH. You’ll be required to review if there’s a safer way you can work and if you can’t avoid exposure, and you’ll be required to ensure adequate controls are in place.
Notable dates:
5th November Bonfire Night
13th November Remembrance Sunday
December – Mechanical Handling
The best present you can give your team is to keep them safe as they go about their jobs. Where they’re using forklift trucks it’s essential that they’re properly trained. It’s also important to have good systems in place to ensure safe traffic and pedestrian movement and for control and maintenance.
Notable dates:
21st December Winter solstice (shortest day)
25th December Christmas Day
Get In Touch
Do you have a calendar system in place to help meet your safety obligations? Let us know what you do in your warehouse. If you need any help or advice about safety or SEMA inspections, just give us a call on 0117 955 5211 and one of our experienced and knowledgeable team will be happy to help you.
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