4 Tips for a Successful OSHA Warehouse Safety Inspection

In July 2023, OSHA announced a 3-year national emphasis program (NEP) in response to the WERC DC Measures study. OSHA’s NEP program is designed to reduce workplace hazards and worker injuries for warehouses, distribution centers, postal processing centers, local delivery centers, and high-risk retail establishments. As part of the program, OSHA will be conducting comprehensive safety inspections with the goal of catching serious safety and health hazards and enforcing compliance to keep workers safe. These practical tips can help you better prepare for your warehouse safety inspection, avoid hefty fines, and keep your workers safe.

Request an On-Site Consultation

The goal of these potential NEP inspections isn’t to collect fines, but to make sure that all facilities are taking the required action to prioritize warehouse safety. In fact, you can request a free, no-risk consultation through your state now, the results of which WILL NOT be shared with the inspection department. This will enable you to take the proper action without incurring OSHA fines, which range from $160,000 to $813,000.

Explore Common OSHA Warehouse Safety Citations & Their Penalty

While requesting a free, no-risk consultation is the best way to make sure all of your bases are covered, you can start preparing for your OSHA warehouse safety inspection by familiarizing yourself and your team with frequently cited OSHA Standards and the penalty for those citations. Forklift citations, for example, make up the majority of OSHA violations and fines, so understanding OSHA standards for Materials Handling and Storage for powered industrial trucks can help you identity important warehouse safety ideas and solutions.

Require OSHA-Compliant Forklift Operator Training

Forklift training and retraining can reduce warehouse accidents by as much as 70%, and they can also help you make sure you’re operating by OSHA standards. At Voss Equipment, we offer OSHA-compliant forklift safety training throughout the Chicago area, including group trainings and train-the-trainer courses. Not only will our expert trainers help your team more safely operate heavy equipment, but our expert trainers will also make sure your operation is in compliance with OSHA standards, notating any potential hazards or areas to improve, and helping you come up with warehouse safety solutions to correct them.

Consider Technology Solutions

Whether it’s digital safety checklists and keycard access or speed control zones and overload arrest, there are plenty of telemetry and operator assistance technology options that can help your operation enforce important OSHA standards. In fact, buying forklifts with Yale Reliant operator assistance technology can help prevent a wide-range of OSHA violations and fines.

Want more information about how to prepare for a successful OSHA warehouse safety inspection? Check out this incredibly helpful white paper from Yale. In the meantime, check out our heavy equipment blog, where we cover helpful topics like common types of forklift accidents and how to prevent them.