We’ve designed a FREE warehouse health and safety checklist that you can use as a starting point for a health and safety review of your warehouse. Health and safety legislation is a complex field, particularly in a busy environment like a warehouse, so it’s highly likely that you’ll need expert help to demonstrate compliance.
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This FREE warehouse health and safety checklist is designed to be used as a starting point to review your compliance with health and safety legislation. It cannot be used in isolation or without consulting somebody with health and safety expertise. Below, we’ve gone through each aspect of our checklist in more detail.
Health And Safety Policy
It’s a legal requirement for every business to have a health and safety policy, and warehouses are no exception. It should be clear and explain who does what, when they do it and how they do it. If you have more than five employees, this must be written down.
Risk Assessments
A risk assessment is an essential document for a warehouse. It allows you to identify hazards and put measures in place to control them. In this guide, you can read in detail how to complete a risk assessment for your warehouse. You can also access a FREE risk assessment template here.
Method Statements
For certain high-risk activities, you might also need a method statement. Whilst these are normally found in sectors like construction, a method statement might be needed in the workplace to explain how heavy machinery is to be used, for example.
We explain how to write a method statement in more detail here. You can also create easy-to-use, professional risk assessments and method statements by using CHAS RAMs, which is free for your first month of use.
There are specific obligations that employers have concerning first aid that are covered by The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 . If you are an employer, you should conduct a first aid needs assessment and make certain first aid arrangements.
Fire Safety
Fire is a significant potential danger in a warehouse and should be treated seriously. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) designates the employer or the person who has control of the premises as the “responsible person” for fire safety.
The responsible person is required to carry out a specific fire safety risk assessment and implement and maintain a fire management plan.
Manual Handling
Manual handling can cause injuries to workers, especially if proper manual handling procedures are not followed. The risks of manual handling should be addressed by your risk assessment. Manual handling is covered by the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 . The law requires that manual handling be avoided as far as is practicably possible, be assessed, and measures be put in place to reduce the risk of injury.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
The updated Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2022 came into force on the 6th of April 2022, updating the 1992 Regulations to extend employers’ and employees’ duties around PPE to a wider group of workers. The main change is that casual workers are to be given the same PPE as employees (where needed).
Machinery And Equipment (PUWER and LOLER)
Warehouses often contain equipment, some of which can be dangerous if not handled correctly. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 cover the use of most work equipment. However, there are specific regulations and guidelines that you should be aware of for other types of work equipment, such as:
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Workplace Environment And Welfare Facilities
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sets out strict guidelines on what you must do in terms of both work environment and welfare facilities. For example, reasonable working temperature is defined as at least 16°C, or 13°C for strenuous work (unless other laws require lower temperatures).
There are also specific requirements in terms of the number of toilets, urinals and hand basins that are to be provided, which depends on the number of people at work. Public toilet facilities are only to be used as a last resort and not as a cost-saving measure.
Emergency Procedures
It’s important to plan for emergencies, such as flooding, chemical spills or explosions, ahead of time so that your workers know how to respond. Emergency procedures are covered by The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 .
You cannot just rely on emergency services in this situation; you must consider how to help them in their work. For example, think about making sure that your warehouse is clearly marked from the road so that emergency services can access the right building straight away. Specific additional regulations apply if your site holds at least 25 tonnes of dangerous substances.
Reporting And Investigation
Certain work-related accidents that take place in a warehouse must be reported under Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
This includes all deaths that arise from a work-related accident, except for suicide. It also includes all work-related accidents that lead to “ specified injuries ”. It also includes all work-related accidents that lead to a worker being unable to work for more than seven consecutive days (this period doesn’t include the initial day of the injury, but it does include weekends and any days off).
If a work-related accident leads to a worker being incapacitated for three consecutive days, it must be recorded but not reported. You can record this in an accident book, which should be accessible to employees.
There are also specified “dangerous occurrences”, some of which must be reported even if no one was injured. For example, under certain conditions, electrical incidents that cause explosions or fires should be reported. You can find additional guidance on dangerous occurrences on the HSE website.
Control Of Substances Hazardous To Health (COSHH)
All businesses, warehouses included, must comply with the COSHH regulations 2022. COSHH not only covers how hazardous substances should be handled in the workplace but also how hazardous substances should be identified.
There are around 500 specific substances that have a Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) that is legally binding. You may need a consultant to monitor substances in your warehouse. To learn more about COSHH, you can read our complete guide to hazardous substance control .
Need help making your warehouse a safer place to work? Talk to a member of our award-winning team on 0345 521 9111 to learn which CHAS membership option is right for you.
