Warehouse Risk Assessment (UK)

A warehouse combines moving vehicles, heavy loads at height and constant manual handling, which is why it needs a thorough risk assessment. This guide covers the hazards that matter most in a warehouse and how to control them.

The main hazards

1. Forklifts and workplace transport, the leading cause of serious warehouse injury, from collisions with pedestrians to overturning.
2. Racking, including collapse from damage or overloading and falling goods.
3. Manual handling, covered by our manual handling guide.
4. Working at height when picking from or loading high racking.
5. Slips, trips and falls on busy floors.
6. Loading bays, where vehicles, edges and people meet.

Separating people and vehicles

The single most important control is keeping pedestrians and forklifts apart with marked routes, barriers, crossing points and clear sight lines, backed by trained and authorised operators and sensible speed limits.

Racking safety

Racking should be installed correctly, load rated and inspected regularly, with a system to report and quarantine damaged racking. Loads must be within the rated capacity and stacked stably.

Record it

Record the traffic, racking, manual handling and height hazards and the controls. Our risk assessment template gives you the form, and working at height from racking ties to our working at height guide.