Is Your Warehouse Safe? Everything You Need to Know About Warehouse Security…

Is Your Warehouse Safe? Everything You Need to Know About Warehouse Security…

As your business grows, your warehouse will grow along with it. A warehouse is the most cost-effective and adaptable way to store your goods, but you must also remember, whether you’re scouting out new premises or rearranging your current digs, safety and security should be your foremost concerns.

You need to ensure that the employees working within the warehouse feel safe to go about their daily business and your goods and equipment are safe and secure when not in use – cargo theft costs the international economy billions every year.

In this blog, we’ll run down some of the most important aspects that a warehouse needs to implement in order to keep products, employees and equipment safe and secure.

24/7 CCTV Surveillance

Due to the modernisation of retail and e-commerce industries, there are more warehouses than ever before, housing millions of pounds worth of goods. Unfortunately, criminals are aware of this too and an underprepared warehouse in a remote location is like a gold mine to a potential thief.

Twenty-four hour CCTV is an absolute must – a comprehensive system of CCTV cameras means that no activity inside or outside the warehouse will go undetected. However, even the most extensive network of cameras is flawed if you haven’t taken blind spots into consideration.

It is your job as a warehouse owner to plan and implement an intelligent deployment of camera systems that will act as a deterrent to thieves. This way, if a break-in does occur, you’ll have a record of when they broke in, what they took and where your physical theft precautions broke down.

Internal theft is also a big problem in warehouses all over the world. In 2014, a warehouse employee cost the clothing brand Ted Baker five-million pounds after stealing seven tonnes of clothing over a five-year period.

Unfortunately, there are some that just aren’t trustworthy and it reportedly accounts for over two-billion pounds of lost revenue each year in the UK alone.

CCTV is a preventative measure and a crucial aspect of ensuring that internal incidents are minimised. Good quality CCTV cameras now come with low light functions, face recognition and motion sensors to make your warehouse much more secure. Having these in multiple locations means that you’ll have all parts of the site monitored at all times.

Alarm Systems

Mobile security

Cameras are a great preventative measure, but what happens if the worst does occur? You need to be on the ball immediately and made aware as soon as an incident happens. A huge range of alarm systems is now attainable, which need to be paired up with basics, such as fire alarms and glass break sensors.

An effective, high-tech centralised alert system will be able to identify problems and notify the appropriate authority figure via emails and push notifications.

If your business stores a large number of products you’ll need to ensure there are appropriate emergency measures in place that protect your employees and your stock.

Electronic Access Controls

Sometimes, as a warehouse owner, it’s wise to consider what different aspects of your warehouse could be vulnerable to theft and any areas that must be streamlined.

A lot of modern warehouses these days are opting for an electronic access control panel which can keep doors closed to non-employees or people who shouldn’t be there. Granting access to only certain personnel means that warehouse owners can ensure that everyone is exactly where they need to be and this can all be done without running around with a large set of keys.

If your business has certain areas of complexity, you’ll want to be sure that these sections contain only a limited amount of employees with permission to handle goods – this way any chance of confusion or costly mistakes is reduced.

Effective & Safe Storage

cage

Warehouses are obviously made to store large amounts of items, so it’s absolutely imperative that you have ensured all modern health and safety standards are up to scratch – not just for your employees, but for your position as a business owner too.

Many warehouses store gas bottles, industrial cleaning equipment and heavy products on high racking, so it’s important that these items are stored properly to prevent potentially life-threatening situations.

At IDH Direct, we stock a wide array of safety solutions, such as mesh cages and storage cupboards, to ensure that your employees can work safely in the knowledge that their personal security is taken care of.

Hidden Dangers

According to Health & Safety Executive, there were nearly 700,000 accidents in the workplace in 2016.

Of this figure, about a thousand accidents were due to electrocutions. Even a non-fatal shock can cause semi or permanent injury, so it’s utterly crucial that you do everything you can to reduce this kind of danger.

Huge voltage power sources such as electrical boxes and generators should always be enclosed within mesh partitioning, which should only be accessed by trained professionals when maintenance is needed.

From 2012-17, 18% of deaths were caused by someone coming into fatal contact with heavy machinery. If your warehouse relies on heavy machinery for its day-to-day running, it is your responsibility to put correct training in place as well appropriate machine guarding solutions.

Data production

Data Protection

In any modern business, it’s more than just the physical entities that need to be shielded. Data protection is a huge priority, particularly in warehouses where errors in the supply chain are a massive burden and cause huge losses.

Each separate electronic data zone in a warehouse management system needs to be protected using uncommon passwords and unique I.D entry for staff, so you can be sure who did what and when. These data zones should include:

  • Receiving Points.
  • Storage Sections.
  • Picking & Packing Areas.
  • Shipping & Loading Docks.

All warehouse zones should be carefully analysed in order to assess risks and highlight failings in the chain, otherwise, it’s impossible to know where leaks are coming from – and if you don’t know where the leak is coming from, how can you plug it?

At IDH Direct, our business is designed to provide industry-leading products that aid warehouse owners and employees in their quest to perfect their supply line and create a safe environment for everyone to go about their routines.

For more information click to live chat with us or contact us the old fashioned way on 01793 747533 or via email at sales@idhdirect.co.uk.