A dirty and disorganized warehouse is a problem for everyone. Aside from bothering the tidiest members of your crew, it can also lead to a less productive and unsafe space for everyone. It takes strong leadership and implementation to maintain a clean facility. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to help keep things in order.
Tips For Keeping Your Warehouse Clean
First, take inventory of clean supplies available and what needs to be restocked. You should always have a stock of mops, buckets, oil and fluid clean-u kits, trash bins and bags, sweeper/scrubbers or brooms and more. Make these supplies easily accessible to employees to make the process as easy as possible. Double up on your inventory of trashcans to reduce any debris build-up due to lack of reciprocals.
Have a pow-wow with your employees and go over each individual’s responsibilities. You can assign work areas to certain groups of employees to encourage accountability and pride in the workplace. Go over the importance of warehouse cleanliness and make clear action items for each area of the facility. This would also be a good time to create goals and schedules to keep everything on track.
Locate outdated stock and replace it and/or remove it. That busted forklift that’s collecting dust is not only a hazard but also clutters your space. Shop for new and used forklifts at 123Forklift. You can compare prices in minutes and get the best price on exactly what you’re looking for.
An organized warehouse is an efficient warehouse. There are many methods of organization that may be able to benefit your business, and every good manager should evaluate potential improvements regularly. Evaluate your use or potential for pallet racking systems. This can be helpful with material storage, savings space, and safety. Shop pallet jacks.
Have a safety education plan in action? Make sure that a good portion of each employee’s on-boarding includes a comprehensive safety-training plan. This should include proper uniform, common hazards, safety equipment, etc. This should be reviewed at scheduled periods of time throughout an employee’s time with the company.
Facilitate organization and help all employees and visitors navigate the warehouse with proper signage. Set up your warehouse for success by creating clearly labeled navigation and a warehouse map. Make pickers’ jobs as easy as possible by keeping the fastest moving materials at the front of the warehouse. Group products that are normally ordered in groups together to reduce the amount of time pickers need to spend trying to find products.
This is a good starter list for keeping your warehouse cleaner and organized. This should be a constant focus of the management team, and encouraged throughout the staff as an important responsibility.
Don’t forget, you can always shop material handling equipment and safety products at 123Forklift.