Procurement and security: a partnership to reduce warehouse risks
Strengthening the cooperation between procurement and security teams can significantly reduce warehouse risks by enforcing security standards in pension contracts and ensuring compliance with compliance.
Warehouses remain a high risk, whereby the injury rates significantly exceed the national average values. A report on 2023 of the US Ministry of Labor shows that the incidents almost doubled from 42,500 in 2016 to 80,500 in 2021, while 39 percent of the injuries led to over 31 days in 2020. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 206,900 cases in 2020 with an incidence rate of 4.0 per 100 employees. In addition, the zones, the themselves, recorded an increase in fatal injuries of 23 percent in 2021, with the loading docks being identified as the main danger. These alarming statistics emphasize the critical need for extended security measures.
Let us equip EHS experts with implementable insights into the mitigating warehouse risks through strategic cooperation with procurement teams.
1. Human factors: the truck driver
Truck drivers represent a significant risk factor for warehouse operations that have the potential to cause damage to property or to violate themselves, which could lead to legal steps against the company. Examples in practice emphasize these risks: truck drivers collided with fork stacks, thrown cigarettes along warehouse paths or caused accidents by accelerating the customer building.
In order to alleviate these risks, it is important to include basic behavioral requirements for truck drivers in supply contracts. If the supplier uses subcontractors, the contract must expressly request the communication of these rules for all sub -constant drivers. This is critical, since injuries can take place before the truck driver entered the website, e.g. B. Damage to the entry gate.
Every truck driver should be familiar with the rules and confirm his confirmation by registering. Some companies carry out security meetings for truck drivers when arriving. However, this creates logistical challenges. For example, the planning of briefings with an EHS manager can be impractical for both drivers and warehouse staff. In addition, security managers cannot always be available to provide briefings. Even if pre-drawn briefings are used, someone has to make sure that truck drivers watch them and document their compliance.
The assignment of this task can be a practical solution to the security personnel, but should be explicitly included in your jobs through a contract adjustment. For briefings that are carried out at the entrance, logistical considerations must be treated, e.g.