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Distribution Safety Topics

Principal Author / Publisher:Safetyhow Admin
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Distribution safety training is important for laborers, delivery drivers and management professionals working in your warehouse. Distribution safety topics include fall protection, personal safety and injury prevention, heavy equipment operation, lockout/tagout procedures, spill cleanup, and the handling of hazardous materials. Cover distribution safety topics with your staff when they start employment, and refresh their training occasionally throughout the year.

Personal Safety

Discuss injury prevention with your distribution crew. Topics like proper lifting and correct box cutter handling can go a long way towards protecting your staff. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, it is the employer's responsibility to determine if personal protection equipment items should be worn by staff. Such equipment can include protective head-wear, protective eye protection, gloves, work boots, dust masks and other equipment. Once you determine that such equipment is required, implement an equipment-management program. Such a program should be a training opportunity for employees. According to OSHA, management should address the identification of warehouse hazards. Also cover the selection, use and correct maintenance of personal-protection equipment.

Heavy Equipment Operation

Ensure your operators of heavy equipment are fully trained and licensed. Cover safety topics involving the operation of heavy equipment with the rest of your staff, too. Heavy equipment in the distribution center includes powered industrial trucks such as forklifts. An estimated 35 percent of forklift accidents occur due to improper operator training, while 26 percent occur because other workers are unaware of forklift dangers, and 14 percent involve a pedestrian being hurt, according to the Labor Institute and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. All distribution employees should also be aware of the dangers of fork trucks, including rollovers and falling inventory.

Lockout/tagout

Cover lockout/tagout procedures to prevent serious injury.
Train distribution staff on lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures. LOTO is a specific set of practices that protects workers from unexpected start-up of equipment like conveyor systems and fork trucks. In short, LOTO requires that a machine is completely disconnected from any power source (locked out) and labeled clearly as out of use (tagged out). LOTO should be practiced any time a machine is being maintained, troubleshot or repaired.


Emergencies

Make sure your employees know the locations of emergency exits.
Show your staff the location of safety equipment, first aid items, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, emergency exits and power sources. Explain to them proper use of first aid kits, eye-wash stations and showers. Provide maps of the plant that clearly label fire exits and fire alarms. Post maps so they are very visible in highly populated parts of the plant.




OSHA

OSHA is the section of the Department of Labor that is the ultimate source for information regarding workplace safety. Teach your staff what OSHA is, and any additional OSHA regulations that apply to your facility. Some states have their own OSHA-approved occupational safety programs whose regulations meet or exceed OSHA standards. Check with OSHA to determine if your state requires additional specific safety protection for warehouse staff.



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