The Alexandria, Virginia, USA-headquartered International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW) recently published a Job Safety Analysis Guide to provide coldstore managers involved in job training an effective tool for eliminating or minimizing workplace hazards. It includes a template that can be customized to meet the particular requirements of warehouse operators.
Ken Hudson, IARW safety committee chairman and director of environmental health and safety for the western division of Lineage Logistics, believes that warehouse managers can help prevent injuries by looking at operations and establishing proper job procedures to ensure all employees are trained properly.
“Performing a job safety analysis allows warehouse facilities to evaluate each job task to identify inherent hazards associated with the job tasks our employees are performing in an effort to eliminate or reduce the risk of injuries,” said Hudson. “Companies that have remained faithful and disciplined to employee safety and have integrated safety as equals into all of their processes enjoy the many benefits of a total safety culture workplace.”
Workplace hazards that can be eliminated or lessened with proper job safety analysis include slip and fall incidents, accidents caused from forklift operations, cold environment, rack storage, and manual material handling.
“The job safety analysis is a way to get frontline employees involved in the safety process,” Hudson said. “It allows companies to utilize their expertise in each specific job task to identify the hazards, apply administrative or engineering controls and specify personal protective equipment to be used while performing the job task. Once you know what the hazards are and how to protect your employees, you will have a safer workplace with the likelihood of reduced injuries, reduced workers compensation costs, and increased worker productivity, which results in higher profitability.”
For more details or to download the Job Safety Analysis Guide, visit http://www.gcca.org/resources/publications/white-papers-reports/job-safety-analysis-guide-and-template. Additional information is also available by phoning +1 703 373 4300.
