intRAlogistics


AutomAting Risk mAnAgement to impRove employee sAfety in WARehouses


Automating warehouse facilities has many recognised operational benefits – from increasing efficiency, improving productivity and becoming less reliant on the manual workforce. Yet, a common misconception of automation is that it can negatively impact employees' safety. Indeed, in Guidance Automation’s 2022 research, 64 per cent of respondents said that safety concerns around physical accidents caused by automated systems were preventing them from implementing warehouse or manufacturing plant automation. Such findings demonstrate a lack of education around automation – as rather than being a barrier to deployment, businesses should consider automation’s capability to minimise health and safety risks a positive. Dr Paul Rivers, managing director of Guidance Automation dispels existing perceptions around the risks of automation and argues that by embracing automated solutions, warehouse managers will be able to better manage existing hazards, and in turn, improve employee safety.


around. According to HSE’s March 2022 RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) data, the number of employees who suffered fatal injuries in the manufacturing and transportation and storage sectors increased in 2021/22 compared to the previous five-year average. Something must be done to reduce these worrying statistics and give employees the reassurance that the environment they are working in is safe. Risk management is a vital part of logistics


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businesses’ health and safety strategies to manage and mitigate any potential risks. When assessing a warehouse space, there are a number of factors to consider for the health and safety of staff, including; the use of hazardous substances, risk of fire and


Winter 2022 UKManufacturing


arehouses are acknowledged high- risk environments, with people, forklifts and other equipment moving continuously


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