Keeping your warehouse clean and safe does not need to be difficult, and there are many ways that you can ensure its cleanliness and safety.
A warehouse can be a business’s most important asset and there are multiple considerations that owners and operatives should be aware of.
Although critical to the operations of many organisations, warehouses present multiple health and safety risks and the importance of ensuring high standards cannot be underestimated.
In the UK, there are many legal requirements outlining the importance of good safety and cleaning procedures. This is not only essential for the proper management of inventory, but also for the health and wellbeing of all warehouse operatives and/ or visitors.
An organisation that fails to follow warehouse best practices will become more prone to accidents, stock will not be moved efficiently, and employees will not be motivated to work productively.
When there is little attention given to championing health, safety, and cleanliness, there can be little surprise when accuracy, efficiency and overall business performance is negatively affected.
Facilities audits and checklists are crucial in effectively maintaining a warehouse. It may be appropriate for your business to have one key person in charge of ensuring processes are carried out, or a dedicated facilities manager.
The UK’s Health and Safety Executive have published figures that show there were over 8,500 work-related accidents in the warehousing industry (as well as others) in 2009/ 2010. Almost 1,600 of these incidents were classified as major injuries involving fractures or amputations.
The value of warehouses is increasing as consumers continue to turn towards online shopping. According to the property company CBRE, for every £1 billion spent online, almost 900,000 square feet of logistics space is required.
When it comes to keeping your warehouse clean and safe, attention to detail is key. The below tips are divided into sections to make the information as clear as possible.
The first section on how to keep your warehouse clean and safe looks at organisational best practices.
While some of these seem self-evident, it is important for your organisation to commit to prioritising these basic practices.
You know your organisation better than anyone. You likely know how long it takes to undertake a full clean of your warehouse so that it is maintained at professional standards.
This information should be included in a warehouse cleaning plan that is available for all stakeholders to view and consult.
Whether your warehouse takes one hour, two hours, or five hours to clean, develop a flexible and comprehensive plan that accounts for things like interior spaces, offices, bathrooms, exteriors, and interior machinery.
It is recommended to create a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly plan that accounts for the needs of your organisation and makes the cleaning process as efficient as possible.
The benefits of an organised, clutter-free warehouse cannot be overstated. For visitors, suppliers, and warehouse workers, the expectation is that the building should be a functional area which maximises its use of space and contains no unnecessary clutter.
Aside from the health and safety risks, a cluttered warehouse sends the wrong message about your business. It shows a lack of attention to detail, and this is not the correct communication to send.
If you have undertaken an assessment of your premises and decided that there is too much clutter, start by removing everything that is not essential and make a justification as to why it should remain. If there is no reason for it to stay, either repurpose it, or put it in the waste.
Managing inventory effectively is the cornerstone of good warehouse practices. Inventory waste is produced when the stock becomes surplus to the requirements needed to produce goods or services according to the ‘just in time’ principle.
A build-up of inventory is an indication that continuous flow is not being achieved and processes need to be analysed for better stock management.
Having an excess of inventory can also result in not identifying other forms of waste. These include issues like machine capacity, skills shortages, transportation delays, supplier deliveries, scheduling, and long set-ups.
Many of these issues can be traced back to poor layout when it comes to workflow processes.
Analysing every section of your warehouse is crucial to keeping it clean, safe, and working effectively.
This means that you should analyse it from top to bottom, looking at the shelf space, floor space, and container space that you currently have and whether it meets your business needs.
As well as looking at the shelf space, you should always note the traffic patterns and the overall design of the building.
The way in which shelves and holding areas are used can likely always be improved. Depending on what you hope to achieve, it is recommended to analyse the results and use the data to continuously improve the functionality of the warehouse space.
Although many of the tips found online about keeping your warehouse clean and safe can be very useful, it is more valuable to ensure that you are adapting your plan to your individual circumstances.
Analyse the needs of your business and your specific industry. How do your current practices compare to others in your industry?
For example, do you ship certain items or products to the same location but they are of different sizes? Look at ways of increasing efficiency based on storage and transportation considerations.
An organisation should work on constant improvement and this is the best place to start when keeping your warehouse safe.
Using technology efficiently is one of the best ways that you can ensure your warehouse is operating at its potential.
It is not possible to have a functioning warehouse that doesn’t have a well-organised labelling system.
Using warehouse barcode labels will allow products to be easily stored, tracked, and ready for picking.
Organising your inventory according to a clearly defined labelling system will ensure that your warehouse operatives can rapidly access stock and move it to the next zone in the process.
Whatever system you choose to use for labelling products, make sure that it is easy to implement and manage. If there is any wastage from the labelling system, develop an effective plan to keep the waste under control.
It’s not just inventory or stock that can be managed effectively by a transparent label system. A warehouse that has clearly outlined floor labels and marking systems will ensure that systems and processes are followed in the most effective way.
Understanding the flow of traffic, people, and machinery like forklifts in your warehouse is crucial. Spend time monitoring how the space is currently being used before making recommendations to change.
If you do have large machinery in your warehouse, there should be a designated point for it to be placed while not in use. This will ensure that all areas are kept clean and safe.
This also extends to the space outside your office. Ensure that any parking space you have is clearly marked and that it adheres with regulatory rules.
The use of technology in maintaining a safe warehouse environment cannot be overstated. Consider looking at how your competitors are using technology and incorporate some ideas into your operation.
There are many warehouse management software options, conveyor belt, and order picking solutions available to meet your needs.
Identify the ways that you can automate some processes in your warehouse. While some technology solutions may be unnecessary or costly, there may be an appropriate option for you.
Using an effective inventory control system is intrinsic to managing your warehouse and ensuring it stays tidy and easily accessible.
From the movement of goods into your warehouse, the labelling and processing system, stock management, movement history, and the exiting of goods must be controlled effectively.
No matter what system you choose to use, it should be designed with your goods and business needs as a primary consideration.
It is recommended to reduce wastage by using sequencing software to automate your orders. Whether you organise your stock according to zones, destination, size, or non-conveyor items, it is important to look at the most optimal system for an efficient workflow.
Most modern warehouses use RF barcodes and RFID systems to manage, locate, and transport stock. RF (radio frequency) scanners read barcodes and transfer information about the product, its quantities, and location to the warehouse management system.
RFID (radio frequency identification) tags are used to allow users to read and write data updates based on real-time events.
Using these can be a cost-effective option for your organisation, eliminating human error and collecting more accurate information about when stock needs to be replaced, as well as patterns and trends that can guide your business decisions.
Don’t assume that your current warehouse layout is necessarily the best. There can always be room for improvement or development of your existing configuration.
You shouldn’t wait until you have problems reported to you, or you are facing losses to make changes to your warehouse layout or make process improvements.
How your working systems are configured have an immediate and medium- to long-term impact on the growth of your business.
If your set-up is just about managing current business demands, it is unlikely it is equipped for significant growth.
Evaluate your space every three to five years to ensure that you are constantly responding to changing business needs.
Your warehouse should be designed so as to encourage and achieve the capacity for sustainable growth.
Even worse than underutilised space in a warehouse is poorly used spaces. This happens frequently in warehouses whose layout space has not been audited or evaluated in quite some time.
Warehouses are designed to manage a certain capacity and to incorporate flexibility. When there is a demand for other functions in the warehouse (such as floor-ready merchandise or mixing picking zones), the overall layout can sometimes be overlooked in the short term.
Whenever a zone’s purpose is changed or altered, consider analysing the overall space as a whole to ensure that the decision is taken holistically.
You are aware that your warehouse must adhere to health and safety guidelines that ensure that workers have appropriate eating, changing, sanitary, and working spaces.
It’s important to clearly delineate each zone and have a bespoke cleaning plan for each area.
As well as cleaning arrangements, it is appropriate to have workstations that are designed to keep workers safe. This could include having areas that allow for adjustable surface heights and areas that accommodate workers with disabilities.
As with all of the advice from this article, analysing your existing set-up with an eye to making improvements is key.
Without appropriate space for warehouse operatives to move around your warehouse, you will find it difficult to maintain the premises effectively.
Spaces that prioritise stacks and stacks of inventory over aisle space or processing space will result in accidents or less efficient work processes.
Workers may accidentally damage inventory when there is not enough space to manoeuvre, and this is obviously something that must be avoided at all costs.
Using data to find out how to manage your inventory effectively will be key to protecting your workers and your business.
As well as this, you can conduct an informal assessment and make decisions about moving shelves where relevant, and ensuring that workspaces are built with efficiency in mind.
Of course, it is essential to monitor the results of the changes you make. First, identify your goals.
These could be to keep your warehouse safer, to manage your cleaning more effectively, to protect against wastage, to lower costs, to improve worker morale, etc.
Make concrete changes (in collaboration with key stakeholders) and make sure that this information is disseminated throughout your business.
After a set amount of time, analyse the results according to your objectives. If the changes brought about positive results, consider keeping the new processes, or rolling them out throughout your organisation.
If they brought about negative changes, consider returning to the original approach or trying a new method.
Remember, experiments like these are not necessarily failures if they don’t work as intended: continuous improvement is built on the principle of failing better every time.
Perhaps the most important section when it comes to keeping your warehouse clean and tidy is prioritising health and safety.
Safe and healthy workers are the number one asset to your business and only once you have ensured these principles, can you plan for growth. Whether you’re cleaning an office or an industrial environment, health and safety should always be at the forefront of your cleaning actions in the workplace.
In the UK between 2015 and 2016, there were over 2,100 fires in industrial areas (including warehouses). Tragically, there were seven fatalities and 120 non-fatal casualties included within this number.
Having a facilities manager, designated health and safety officer, or fire warden is crucial to eliminating fire hazards and ensuring compliance with best practices.
It is not enough to have a fire safety plan: drills and tests must be carried out regularly to keep workers safe in the event a fire breaks out.
It is advisable to implement good practices such as clean-as-you-go policies, leave no waste practices, and active reporting of serious issues.
Depending on your warehouse layout, another useful approach is to designate employees to individual cleaning sites so that they are responsible for sections of the warehouse to clean.
As well as being a legal requirement, the value of training warehouse workers cannot be overstated.
Warehouses represent significant investments on behalf of a business. They contain valuable machinery, inventory, as well as the land the warehouse sits on.
Not having properly trained workers can be a serious threat to the safety and security of your warehouse and for this reason, training on health and safety and company-specific matters is crucial.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial to the safe operations of warehouses. Consider investing only in PPE that can guarantee its quality and consistency.
There should be a zero-tolerance policy for individuals who fail to wear the appropriate PPE, and investment should be spent to ensure that all staff understand the importance and value of PPE.
Finally, a warehouse is only as effective as the people who maintain it or work within it on a regular basis.
Whether it’s a matter of cleaning the premises or investing time and resources into ensuring that it is safe for all stakeholders, you can be assured of the value of effective warehouse management.
Warehouse cleaning teams like ours at SMC Premier can ensure that your warehouse is both clean and safe. Contact us for a consultation about how we can meet your business’s objectives today.
SMC Premier Group Ltd
117 – 119a Stockport Road
Stockport
SK3 0JE
0161 282 6444
Other Offices: Liverpool
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