While on business in Mexico City a few years ago, I was amazed at the 1000’s of green VW Beatle taxicabs running helter-skelter all over the streets. The traffic volume and noise was at times overwhelming even when compared to NYC. But even more disturbing was the number of pedestrians zigzagging across the streets while paying scant attention to traffic lights or crosswalks. It made me nervous just watching these would be matadors dodge the infamous little green taxies as they made their way across to the other side.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in distribution centers, I couldn’t help thinking that they would feel right at home in the typical DC environment.

While working in a busy DC may not be quite as nerve-racking as crossing the streets of Mexico City, one nevertheless must be on full alert. This is because, as it relates to safety, there are two kinds of DC’s - those that have had serious accidents and those that will.

What Are The High Risk Areas?

According to Dixie Brock, Director of National Warehouse Safety for APL Logistics, some areas of risk are obvious. Personnel must be on constant alert for mobile equipment such as lift trucks, order picker trucks, AGVs, high speed ASRS trucks and cranes, etc, as well as conveyors and other types of automated equipment. Still, that reality is too often overlooked.

Based on OSHA records, there are about 95,000 injuries resulting in over 100 deaths in forklift related accidents alone every year.

Based on statics complied by APL, lift trucks account for 20% of the injuries occurring in their facilities, especially around the shipping and receiving docks. Material handling related accidents, such as strained backs and muscles, account for another 30%.

Brock says that the remaining 50% of injuries fall into three categories.

• Unsafe conditions: These include spills on the floor, sharp protruding edged and unprotected machinery, as well as pallets and other obstructions in the aisles.

• Unsafe processes: DC tasks, like loading and unloading trailers, are inherently risky. But managers can create safe processes for those tasks. For example; some facilities don’t have dock locks on trailers – by giving every lift truck operator an orange cone to put out front of a trailer he/she is loading or unloading and a lock for the trailer air hose, a driver can’t pull away with the trailer.

• Unsafe behaviors: Speeding lift truck drivers, improper handling of box cutters and horse play around the loading docks all lead to accidents. Yet unsafe behavior is the least likely behavior to be policed. ‘Supervisors are busy, and it’s easy to let something slide because they’re busy doing something else when it happens,’ says Brock. ‘But they have to recognize a risk when it happens and take action so it doesn’t happen again.’

What Are The Basic Steps A Company Can Take To Create A Safer DC?

Get started by first examining the location, tools, people and processes involved in previous accidents. Look for the contributing factors that can be addressed to prevent future accidents.

For new accidents, an effective investigation is crucial. That means going beyond simply reporting that someone was cut and needed stitches. It is just as important to document where, when and how the accident occurred, including re-enactments wherever possible. ‘If you know that someone was cut picking a certain SKU from a certain rack location when they were cut, you can find out if it was just chance or if there is a sharp and unsafe protrusion at that rack location,’ says Brock.

Once it’s known why an accident occurred, it’s important to take corrective action to prevent it from happening again. This can be done by breaking a process down into the component steps to see if there’s another way to perform the task and minimize risk.

Accountability is another important step. In order for an organization to truly achieve optimal workplace safety, everyone at the company must believe in its importance and be held accountable for supporting it. The GM has to hold supervisors accountable, and supervisors have to hold employees accountable for what happens on the floor. Companies should seriously consider discharging supervisors and employees who do not report accidents in their areas, or who do not address unsafe conditions or behavior they know about.

It’s also important to be consistent in how the safety rules are applied. The company can’t let things go one day and hold people accountable the next – you need the same approach day in and day out. As reckless and dangerous as it is, pedestrians cross the streets willy-nilly in Mexico City not because there is no law against it, but because the law is mostly not enforced.

Another important step is education and training. In addition to training employees on how to do a job, they need to be trained on all the safety aspects of doing the job in the DC environment. It’s easy to assume that all forklift injuries happen to operators. But forklift pedestrian injuries are common, and sometimes it’s the pedestrian rather than the forklift operator who’s to blame.

And finally, never let DC employees forget that they have an obligation to take some responsibility for their own protection. It means constantly reminding people that safety is not just a safety committee member’s job – it’s everyone’s job. It could make the difference between them going home from work or going to the hospital.

Final Thoughts

The simple truth is that companies who are focused on safety are more productive and profitable than those who are not. When you run the numbers this becomes quite obvious – consider this example; a DC with a 1% profit margin needs an additional $1 million in revenue to offset every $10,000 spent on workers’ compensation claims.

While it’s not hard to get a GM’s attention with presented with this reality, it’s often hard to get buy-in from line supervisors and employees who are focused and compensated on productivity. On occasion, this may mean that the company has to educate some employees about the value that greater safety brings to the table. Or, it may require putting some “skin-in-the-game” - some safety measures into various employees’ bonus or incentive packages.

Over the years I have noticed that one of the characteristics that DC’s with excellent safety records seem to have in common is that they celebrate their safety successes. In these facilities you will probably find, hanging in a prominent place, a huge sign indicating the number of concessive production hours without an injury. And, they will occasionally have a pizza party or barbeque to celebrate reaching an important safety milestone.

Agree or disagree with Holste's perspective? What would you add? Let us know your thoughts for publication in the SCDigest newsletter Feedback section, and on the website. Upon request, comments will be posted with the respondent's name or company withheld.

You can also contact Holste directly to discuss your material handling or distribution challenges at the Feedback button below.