HOW TO REDUCE PRODUCT DAMAGE IN YOUR WAREHOUSE

As a business owner, it’s likely your main goal is to serve customers and increase profits. And though there’s a lot of hustle and bustle going on in your warehouse, you may narrow in on these goals without taking a look around at what might be deterring you from getting there.

For example, an unsafe warehouse could prevent you from serving your customers and selling a reputable product. In fact, an unsafe warehouse could even put you out of business.

Hence, it’s important to reduce product damage in the warehouse by following these six tips.

1. Wrap and Secure Pallets Properly

Pallets should be hand-wrapped to ensure the safety of your products and warehouse employees. However, hand-wrapping can result in injury or product damage if done incorrectly. Following the wrapping standards as outlined by OSHA will ensure your employees stay safe and save you time and resources.

2. Mind the Weight of Any Pallet or Rack

Every warehouse employee should pay attention to standard pallet weight capacity. This will help you avoid costly damages to products, or injuries on the job. Though weight capacities vary depending on the pallet, here are some standard weight limits to keep in mind:

• A 48 x 40 pallet can hold up to 4,600 lbs
• A 36 x 36 pallet can hold up to 4,700 lbs
• A 42 x 42 pallet can hold up to 3,700 lbs
• A 48 x 48 pallet can hold up to 3,700 lbs

3. Reduce Human Error

Human error is inevitable in every warehouse, but you can reduce the chances of safety issues by implementing the following practices:

• Using driver safety checklists
• Monitoring speed limits
• Controlling access to areas of the warehouse
• Analyzing the cause of previous accidents (and avoiding them in the future)
• Ongoing training and certification programs

4. Install Safety Precautions

Certain safety precautions can further reduce the chance of product damage in the warehouse. Take care to install guard rails and add pads on loading docks and forklifts. This will soften collisions if they do happen to occur.

5. Provide Safety Training

Though you may be tempted to incentivize employees for efficiency, it’s best to focus on training for safety rather than speed. Allow employees plenty of time to become faster at their tasks. This will enable them to increase efficiency while remaining safe on the job.

6. Keep Workspaces Clean

A clean warehouse is a safer warehouse. Make sure you train employees to keep workplaces clean by putting away packaging and boxes as soon as possible. Don’t allow for debris and other wrappings to be left on the warehouse floor.