When you own and operate a business within an industrial setting, a lot is expected of you in safeguarding your staff’s health and safety. It should be at the forefront of every decision you make because your staff are vital for the success of your business. Legally, you are expected to keep sites in good order, too, to minimise the risks to staff; this really comes down to proper storage and waste management. Let’s take a look.
Storage
Most industrial businesses rely on the use of raw materials, and these materials need to be stored optimally. This will depend on the communication and cooperation of all involved. In terms of safety, there are a few tips that you should implement. Firstly, you should start by designating specific storage areas, and these areas should be organised by material to keep things apart. In terms of what you are using for storage, it is obviously up to you; however, it makes sense to have various storage solutions like shelving, storage bins and even collapsible metal cage stillages from Roll Pallet.
Next, you should consider the pedestrian routes, create walkways that are safe for workers to use. Make sure they remain clear and unobstructed. If you are going to be storing things at height, then you need to have safeguards in place to keep the materials on the shelves and prevent falls. Within the same vein, you’ll need to provide equipment for your staff to help them to access the materials safely. Lastly, deliveries should be organised efficiently so that you aren’t overloaded with surplus materials that pile up more quickly than you can use them.
Waste
Technically, waste management could be classed under the umbrella of storage as it still pertains to the storage of materials until you can dispose of, or recycle them properly. The proper method of disposal will, of course, depend on the materials themselves, so it is difficult to make suggestions. However, there are a few general things that you might want to think about. Firstly, consider how much waste is produced during the workday and what happens to it immediately following its creation. After that, you should think about whose responsibility waste collection and disposal is.
Flammable materials should be stored separately and cleared away quickly to minimise accidental ignitions and reduce fire risks; this is also something to consider in your disposal protocols. Everybody should be responsible for keeping their work area and common areas clean and tidy, which is simply an exercise in fairness and common sense. However, it is worth considering how they are going to deal with their mess, do their bins get emptied for them, do they have wheels or are they expected to use a rubbish cute? They’re all good options; it just needs to make sense for your business. Lastly, think about the size of the bins that you are going to need. How often are the waste materials removed from the site, or is it something that you will deal with onsite?
In Conclusion
Proper storage and waste management are cornerstones of efficiency. They help to ensure that your business is running optimally. Of course, there are a lot of pressing matters when it comes to running a business, but it is well worth taking the time to consider this because it can actually be instrumental in helping to keep your workers safe, happy and healthy.
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