Safety First: Most Common Injuries in the Warehouse

If you have ever worked in a warehouse, you probably understand how dangerous it can be. Between the constant movement of machinery and the heavy loads on the shelves, accidents can easily occur, resulting in bodily injury. In most cases, these injuries can often be avoided with proper safety standards, but sometimes they are simply unavoidable. One of the most effective ways to prevent injuries altogether is understanding what is most likely to happen in any situation. Here are the most common injuries in the warehouse.

Forklift Accidents

Warehouses and forklifts are synonymous with each other due to the great utility that forklifts provide. Because forklifts are used so much within this setting, it stands to reason that they are also one of the most common perpetrators of most warehouse accidents. Typically, these accidents will happen due to poor training, unsafe operation, or simply just a freak occurrence. These accidents usually result in crushing workers, collision accidents, and overturning forklifts.

One of the best ways to prevent these accidents from happening is to have set routes or lanes that all forklifts must abide by. This will help keep the other sections clear for foot traffic.

Overexertion Injuries

One of the other common injuries in the warehouse is overexertion injuries. These are usually injuries that result from overstressing the cervical spine, lumbar spine, and shoulder areas. While some of these injuries may occur due to a lack of training, most occur due to a lack of proper equipment. Things such as weightlifting belts will help stave off these injuries by providing the necessary support needed to lift heavy objects without straining the fragile parts of the body.

Falling Objects

It should come as no surprise that falling objects are some of the most common causes of injury in the warehouse. Most often, the causes of these types of injuries are improper placement of loads on the shelves. Simply put, in most situations, this is the sole result of carelessness and human error and thus is only rectified by proper training and care.

Warehouses are dangerous areas that see a lot of activity. This is why it is so important to enable yourself to recognize the areas that most commonly produce injuries in the warehouse. Once you start to recognize these patterns, you can better prevent common injuries in your warehouse.