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Case Study

Warehousing & Storage Risks

The Client

Our client operates a warehouse facility serving a number of local SME businesses. As part of their day to day operations, they move goods constantly utilising forklift and pallet trucks.

The Problem

Warehousing and distribution businesses can be relatively high risk due to a number of issues including:

  • Goods being stored at height
  • The use of Fork Lift and Pallet Trucks
  • Manual Handling issues
  • Workplace Transport issues
  • Loading and Unloading procedures

A further complication is the transient nature of the workforce. Temporary staff are often used at busy times of the year, and even permanent members of staff can tend to move jobs more frequently than in other industries.

As well as warehouse staff, there are also a number of administration staff onsite. Although these people tend to work mainly in the office, there are occasions when they need to speak face-to-face with warehouse staff, so they need clear guidance as to where they can and can’t go within the premises and any measures they need to take when entering the warehouse.

All of these challenges make it harder to embed and maintain processes and procedures which keep Health & Safety in the
forefront of the minds of the workforce.

The directors of our Client were concerned that they had nobody within the business with the relevant Health & Safety qualifications to implement a suitable management system to ensure the complex nature of their operations run safely and in accordance with UK legislative requirements.

The Proposed Framework

As a result, Lighthouse Risk Services were appointed to act as the Client’s ‘Competent Person’ as required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Within this role, Lighthouse committed to:

  • Carry out an initial consultancy visit to audit the various business activities against UK Health & Safety legislation. This was to cover both the warehouse and office operations.
  • A follow-up visit was then scheduled to work through the action points raised in the audit and implement some procedural paperwork including:
  • Lighthouse was then to conduct a series of pro-active consultancy support visits on a monthly basis to assist with ongoing requirements such as:
    • Devising working risk assessments
    • Delivering Health & Safety training to employees such as Manual Handling, Fire Safety Awareness and First Aid
    • Compiling necessary inventories and matrixes such as COSHH and a Training Matrix
    • Undertaking any relevant surveys and assessments such as Noise or Asbestos surveys
    • Completing any relevant paperwork such as customer Pre Qualification Questionnaires or accreditation submissions such as Altius

The Result

By working with Lighthouse, the client was able to meet their Health & Safety obligations in a simple, cost-effective way.
The regular onsite presence of a trained Health & Safety specialist has helped keep the minds of employees focused on safe working procedures, and also helped the client to resolve ad-hoc issues promptly, rather than wait for our next site visit.

Knowing that Lighthouse will point out any required actions or new legislation in good time, gives the client the flexibility they need to manage their business through its seasonal fluctuations in workload.

Despite the relatively high turnover of staff, the client is able to keep up with their Health & Safety obligations towards new employees, thanks to cost-effective group training and the regular onsite presence of our advisers.

This client now has the peace of mind of having thorough Health & Safety procedures and support to ensure that they remain up to date even throughout busy periods.

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