Warehouse inspections are an essential part of warehouse management. Without proper warehouse management, your inventory levels and ability to ship products to customers might suffer. These inspections are also important for improving internal processes. In this article, we look at the most important thing you should check during such inspections.
Overall Condition of the Warehouse
A warehouse inspection should always start with an inspection of the overall state of the warehouse. This inspection is about checking whether the building and its surrounding areas are damaged. Starting from the outside, the inspector should check the walls, support structures, windows, and doors.
Once they have made their notes, they can move inside where they can look at the ceiling, interior walls, interior doors and windows as well as the floor. The inspections should result in a report noting the condition of the warehouse as well as any damage that should be taken care of.
Warehouse Lighting
Lighting is crucial, especially in warehouses where employees use heavy machinery. Every workstation, loading dock, bathroom, and break room should be inspected to ensure it has adequate lighting.
More importantly, businesses should do an emergency lighting test every few months, and at least once a year. Such an inspection ensures all energy lights are working as expected, and those that are not, are listed to be repaired. The lights inspected include emergency lights that come on after the loss of power as well as emergency and exit lights that should remain on during an emergency.
Storage Racks
Storage racks are part of a well-coordinated and organised storage, picking, and delivery system. Since they are a prominent part of the warehousing system, racks undergo a lot of punishment. They are also often in danger of being damaged from events like someone hitting them with a forklift.
You should inspect your warehouse storage racks to ensure they are not damaged and that they continue to perform as expected. Ideally, safety inspections for your racking should be carried out by a technically-competent person. They will be responsible for determining the frequency of these inspections and creating reports on their state.
The responsible employee will also be responsible for recommending repairs or even replacements. The latter is especially important for the safety of employees as racking can cause serious injuries if it collapses over an employee.
Fire Safety
Fire safety inspections are crucial in all warehouses, but especially those that have a lot of inventory. There should be a fire suppression system as well as enough fire extinguishers. There should also be enough fire exits and fire doors to prevent the fire from spreading. The business should also do periodic inspections to check whether there is a risk of an explosion in case of a fire.
Ventilation and Drainage
Inadequate ventilation can be dangerous in warehouses that handle a lot of dusty products. An inspection should check that there is adequate ventilation and that systems meant to maintain it are working. All warehouses should have good drainage. All trenches and drainpipes should also be free of blockages.
Warehouse safety and efficiency start with a thorough inspection. These inspections can focus on different aspects of efficiency and safety. They should be scheduled regularly to ensure things are in order at all times.
Disclaimer: The information on this website is provided for general informational purposes only. We make no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content. For more such intersting content follow us @ Biz grows
