Running a successful warehouse involves a lot more than simply having the right equipment, it also means doing what you can to ensure the physical and mental health of your employees.

When your employees feel safe and happy at work, it’s likely that they’ll be more motivated, productive, and efficient.

If you want to improve your warehouse, here’s why you should focus on the importance of physical and mental health.

Physical health in the warehouse

When working with large and heavy equipment, there is always going to be a high chance of things going wrong.

Whether your employee is involved in an accident because they didn’t know how to operate a machine properly, or if it was due to a technical malfunction, both of these scenarios are your responsibility to prevent.

According to the British Safety Council, 1,300 UK employees were hospitalized due to accidents relating to forklifts. Similarly, the HSE reported that handling, lifting, and carrying goods accounts for 20% of non-fatal injuries, while 10% of injuries are caused by being struck by a falling object.

Preventing workplace injuries and accidents isn’t too hard to achieve, no matter how small or large your warehouse is. Maintaining physical health comes down to three things:

  1. Conducting regular checks on your equipment to ensure they’re safe to use
  2. Providing access to ongoing training to all employees to prioritise health and safety
  3. Using signs around the warehouse to alert employees of potential dangers/hazards

Mental health in the warehouse

Almost 1 in 7 people experience mental health issues in the workplace and 12.7% of all sickness days in the UK can be attributed to mental health.

If your workforce is struggling with their mental health, not only can it have an impact on their own sense of wellbeing, but can also be the cause of a range of other knock-on effects on your business.

If an employee is not feeling happy at work, they may take more sick days which will force you to hire additional staff to make up for the lost work. Alternatively, if they do come to work, they may not be as focused and motivated, leading to a drop in productivity and an increased chance of accidents.

Providing better mental health support at work can make a big difference to the lives of your employees and can result in cost savings for UK businesses.

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