Sector Expertise

Health and Safety for Warehousing and Logistics

Name: Integral Safety Ltd
Address: 53 John Cooper Way, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 4AP, GB
Telephone: 01530 382 150
Price range: ££

The M1, M42 and A42 corridor has made this region a national logistics hub. Warehouse risk is dominated by vehicles, racking and repetitive handling, and all three are manageable.

Get a Free Quote 01530 382 150

Health and safety consultant with a warehouse manager in a marked pedestrian walkway

Chartered (CMIOSH) Advice led by a Chartered Member of IOSH
20+ years Protecting Midlands workplaces
Local to you Based in Coalville and Melton Mowbray
Free quote Clear, fixed prices with no obligation

Why it is different

Warehousing & Logistics: What Makes This Sector Different

North West Leicestershire sits at the centre of the UK's distribution network. The area around Castle Donington, Bardon and the M1 junctions carries an enormous concentration of warehousing and freight operations, and the sector keeps growing.

Warehouse health and safety is unusually concentrated: a small number of hazards account for most of the serious harm. Vehicles and pedestrians sharing space, racking that has been struck and not reported, working at height on mezzanines and during picking, and the cumulative toll of repetitive manual handling. Get those under control and you have addressed most of your risk.

Know your risks

The Risks That Matter Here

The hazards we see most often in warehousing & logistics, and the ones a regulator or client will ask about.

Forklift and pedestrian segregation, the sector's defining risk
Loading bay and yard traffic management
Racking damage, inspection and the SEMA rating system
Falls from mezzanines, order pickers and vehicle beds
Repetitive manual handling and musculoskeletal disorders
Vehicle loading, load security and unloading arrangements
Fire risk and sprinkler design in high-bay storage
Agency and seasonal staff induction and competence
Noise from handling equipment and conveyors

The law

Your Legal Duties

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require traffic routes to be organised so pedestrians and vehicles can circulate safely, which is the legal basis for segregation. PUWER covers forklifts and handling equipment, including inspection and driver competence, and LOLER 1998 requires thorough examination of lifting equipment, which includes forklift forks and attachments. Racking is work equipment under PUWER, so damaged racking is a legal issue and not merely a maintenance one.

How we help

What We Do for Warehousing & Logistics Clients

Workplace transport risk assessment and traffic route design review
Racking inspection regimes and damage reporting systems
Manual handling assessment and training
Fire risk assessment for high-bay and high-density storage

Agency worker induction arrangements
Site safety audits and inspections
IOSH Managing Safely for shift managers and team leaders
Accident investigation and RIDDOR support

Relevant services and training

“Integral Health and safety Consultants have been undertaking H&S audits for the past twelve months on one of our large value developments. They have dealt with various issues that we have had very quickly using minimal hassle to us. Their Site Visits are weekly and their paperwork is always prompt. We would recommend Integral Health and safety consultants to any business that wants a reliable and professional company to take care of their health and safety issues.”

Mick Starkey S & S Contracting Ltd

Questions

Warehousing & Logistics: Common Questions

How often should racking be inspected?

Good practice, following SEMA guidance, is a formal inspection by a technically competent person at least annually, supported by regular visual checks by a nominated person, often weekly. Just as important is a no-blame damage reporting route, because the racking damage that hurts people is usually the impact nobody reported.

Is full segregation of forklifts and pedestrians always required?

Full physical separation is the ideal and should be the starting point. Where the layout genuinely will not allow it, you need a combination of controls: marked walkways, barriers at pinch points, clear crossing places, high-visibility clothing, speed limits and sightline management. What is not acceptable is relying on people simply being careful.

What are the duties around agency and seasonal staff?

As the host employer you are responsible for their health and safety while they work for you, including induction, site-specific information and any training needed for the tasks they will do. Peak season pressure is exactly when induction gets shortened, and it is also when injury rates rise.

Do you cover the Castle Donington and Bardon distribution parks?

Yes. We are based in Coalville, which puts us within a few minutes of most of the North West Leicestershire logistics estates, and we work throughout the M1 and A42 corridor.

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