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Example Risk Assessment For A Warehouse PDF
Example Risk Assessment For A Warehouse PDF
This example risk assessment applies to a warehouse which employees both adults and young persons. It can be used as a guide to help you think through
some of the hazards in your business and steps you need to take to eliminate or reduce risks to as low as possible. Please note that it is not a generic
assessment that you can just put your company name on and adopt wholesale without any thought. This would not satisfy the law and would not be
effective in protecting people.
How was the risk assessment done?
1. To identify the hazards and the risks the manager:
• Look at small business guidance on www.hse.gov.uk to see where hazards can occur, and looked at information on the employment of young
persons
• Walked around the warehouse noting what might pose a risk, taking into consideration HSE guidance. The manager also considered occasional
activities, such as changing light bulbs.
• Talk to staff to learn from their knowledge and experience, and to listen to their concerns and opinions about health and safety issues
• Looked at the accident book to gain an understanding of what particular risks have resulted in injury.
• Decided that, on an apprentice’s first day at work, the manager would go through the risk assessment with him/her & decide what additional risk
control measures were necessary, taking account of the apprentice’s lack of both experience & awareness of risk, in particular if apprentice under 18.
2. The manager wrote down who could be harmed and how
3. The manager then wrote down what controls were already in place to eliminate or reduce the likelihood of injury. The manager then considered
whether further controls were necessary and assessed the level of risk the lack of controls presented as either low, medium or high. This approach
helped decide whether further controls were necessary and if so, by when these controls should be in place. The aim of the further action was to
further reduce the risks to as low as reasonably practicable*.
4. After the manager put in place further identified controls, the findings were discussed with staff and placed the assessments in the staffroom. The
guardians of any young person were informed of the findings of the risk assessment and how the risks to that young person would be controlled. Any
workers who had difficulty in understanding English had the safety arrangements explained to them in their own language
5. It was decided that the risk assessment would be reviewed on a yearly basis or if there were any major changes in the workplac
Hazards Who harmed & how Control measures already in place Further action Risk level Action date Residual risk
Slips & trips Staff/customers risk Flooring kept dry and quality Suitable absorber provided Medium 3 months Low
sprains, fractures or maintained in case of spillage
bruising if they trip All staff trained to maintain good
over objects, such as housekeeping standards and Staff to be trained to clean
stock, or slip on ensure stock does not project and dry any spillages Medium 1 month Low
spillages, e.g. from into gangways immediately
fat build up. Cleaner empties bins and
removes loose debris daily
Pallets stored safely in Extra bins to be provided Medium Immediate Low
designated areas for waste material near
Protective non‐slip footwear loading bays
provided and worn
Manual Staff risk strains or All staff are trained how to lift Remind staff that where Low Immediate Low
handling other injuries, to properly. possible stock should be
(should be their High shelves are for light goods moved using the trolley
task specific back or elsewhere, only. Assess individual capability Medium Immediate Low
if various from handling heavy Walkways kept clear. of staff in particular for
manual items Porter’s trolley available. young persons
handling Conveyor system used to reduce Ensure adequate rest Medium Immediate Low
tasks manual handling materials in periods in place in particular
undertaken) and out of delivery trucks for young persons
(separate risk assessment Buddy up young person to Medium Immediate Low
available) ensure adequate
Lift trucks available supervision
Hazards Who harmed & how Control measures already in place Further action Risk level Action date Residual risk
Falls from Staff could suffer All staff are given strict
height severe or even instructions never to climb
fatal injuries if racking – monitored by
they fell whilst supervisors.
climbing racking.
Staff could suffer Proprietary forklift cage used by Train maintenance worker High Immediate Low
severe or even maintenance worker for to check FLT cage is in good
fatal injuries if changing bulbs. Cage supplier’s condition and properly
they fell whilst information shows it is secured before each use.
changing light manufactured to standard.
bulbs etc in the
high ceiling.
Staff or No controls in place Put up “fragile roof” signs, High Immediate Low
contractor could one on each side of the
suffer severe or building and at access
fatal injuries points to roof.
falling through
fragile roof lights Agree with maintenance High Immediate Low
when looking worker that a contractor
for/repairing will be used for any access
leaks. to the roof.
Worker falling The internal warehouse roof is Require contractor to High Immediate Low
from roof of load bearing, has full rails and provide an assessment
internal boards around its edge, before access is allowed if
warehouse office adequate lighting and access is any roof work is required.
used for storage. by permanent steps with a
handrail.
Hazards Who harmed & how Control measures already in place Further action Risk level Action date Residual risk
Hazardous The fumes may Drivers not allowed to leave None
substances cause staff eye vehicle running in warehouse
(Vehicle irritation and
exhaust respiratory problems Roller shutter doors and
fumes) windows open where possible to
assist in ventilation
Number of vehicles in
warehouse is low and as a result
fume build up is low
Falling Staff may suffer Racking is designed to be Sign fixed to racking stating Medium 1 month Low
objects serious injury if suitable for the loads carried maximum load configuration
(from racking struck from a falling Staff report any racking damage
and during object immediately
movement) System in place to ensure
defective pallets withdrawn
from use immediately
Protective footwear issued to all
staff and monitoring in place to
ensure worn
Kick boards in place on
mezzanine storage floor
Hazards Who harmed & how Control measures already in place Further action Risk level Action date Residual risk
Machinery Staff could suffer Young persons prohibited from Remind staff not to distract Medium Immediate Low
(Stretch serious injury from using dangerous machinery colleagues who are using
wrap contact with Staff trained in operating machinery.
machine) dangerous parts. The procedures
whole body could Daily checks of machine guards Area around machine to be Medium Immediate Low
also get trapped before use kept clear at all times
between moving Machines serviced and
pallet load and fixed maintained
structure Warning signs displayed at Area around machine to be Medium 1 month Low
machine indicated by use of
Staff can also cut Only standardised pallet loads markings in fluorescent
themselves on sharp wrapped orange‐red
edges or scald
themselves on hot
parts
Traffic Serious injuries can Floor and traffic routes suitable Anyone working or in vicinity High Immediate Low
movement occur from: for vehicles of delivery vehicles should
(deliveries) Vehicle routes kept free from be given training and high
Staff and visitors
obstructions visibility clothing
being hit by vehicle Parking of cars and vans only Walkways required through Medium 2 months Low
People fall from a allowed in marked spaces well visitor and employee car
vehicle away from external park
Objects falling from delivery/dispatch area
vehicle onto people Outside area gritted when frosty
or snow
5mph speed limit imposed
Reversing only carried out when
necessary and use of competent
trained banks person with safety
shoes and high visibility jacket
Adequate signage
Hazards Who harmed & how Control measures already in place Further action Risk level Action date Residual risk
Operation of Serious injuries can Operators trained in use of FLT Young persons within High Immediate Low
lift trucks occur from: FLT maintained regularly as per warehouse with competent
LOLER and PUWER person at all times
The vehicle
Drivers instructed to keep key Additional awareness
crashing into with them at all times training provided to young High 2 weeks Low
other vehicles System in place for refresher persons
and/or other training of operators At no time is young person High Immediate Low
objects Gangways and aisles of
allowed to be by
Staff and visitors sufficient space to enable lift
trucks to load and unload from themselves or work in
being hit by lift
racking safely areas where they are not
trucks System in place to keep FLTs separated from FLTs
Objects falling and pedestrians separate – in
from lift trucks particular for young persons
Lift truck tipping Access to warehouse restricted
over to staff
Floor and housekeeping
Lift truck
maintained
operators falling Warning signs located around
from the vehicle traffic routes
Lift truck FLTs have roll cages and seat
operators belts
crushed by the No person under the age of 18
allowed to drive FLT
mast
Reasonably practicable explanation
You may come across it as SFAIRP (“so far as is reasonably practicable”) or ALARP (“as low as reasonably practicable”). SFAIRP is the term most often used in
the Health and Safety at Work etc Act and in Regulations. ALARP is the term used by risk specialists, and duty‐holders are more likely to know it. We use
ALARP in this guidance. In HSE’s view, the two terms are interchangeable except if you are drafting formal legal documents when you must use the correct
legal phrase.
The definition set out by the Court of Appeal (in its judgment in Edwards v. National Coal Board, [1949] 1 All ER 743) is:
“‘Reasonably practicable’ is a narrower term than ‘physically possible’ … a computation must be made by the owner in which the quantum of risk is placed
on one scale and the sacrifice involved in the measures necessary for averting the risk (whether in money, time or trouble) is placed in the other, and that, if
it be shown that there is a gross disproportion between them – the risk being insignificant in relation to the sacrifice – the defendants discharge the onus on
them.”
In essence, making sure a risk has been reduced ALARP is about weighing the risk against the sacrifice needed to further reduce it. The decision is weighted
in favour of health and safety because the presumption is that the duty‐holder should implement the risk reduction measure. To avoid having to make this
sacrifice, the duty‐holder must be able to show that it would be grossly disproportionate to the benefits of risk reduction that would be achieved. Thus, the
process is not one of balancing the costs and benefits of measures but, rather, of adopting measures except where they are ruled out because they involve
grossly disproportionate sacrifices. Extreme examples might be:
• To spend £1m to prevent five staff suffering bruised knees is obviously grossly disproportionate; but
• To spend £1m to prevent a major explosion capable of killing 150 people is obviously proportionate.
Of course, in reality many decisions about risk and the controls that achieve ALARP are not so obvious. Factors come into play such as ongoing costs set
against remote chances of one‐off events, or daily expense and supervision time required to ensure that, for example, employees wear ear defenders set
against a chance of developing hearing loss at some time in the future. It requires judgment. There is no simple formula for computing what is ALARP.
Source: Health and Safety Executive, 2008
Amended by Mid Beds DC