HSG76 Warehousing and Storage
HSG76 Guide
Every business owner, director and manager has a legal responsibility to provide good governance and manage employee rights. Adopting best practices within the workplace keeps the public safe and reduces health risks. As the national regulator for workplace health and safety, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has produced numerous guidance documents. These aim to prevent workplace death, injury or ill health. There are numerous HSE publications available which cover every workplace environment but for a warehouse, owners should look at HSG76.
What is HSG76?
Many factors contribute to making factories and warehouses dangerous places to work. The environment is busy with vehicles and employees constantly moving around. There are risks from trips and falls alongside incorrect manual handling. On top of that, with racking rising above worker’s heads, there is the potential of falls from heights.
As an incredibly complex working environment where multiple areas can enhance the risk of injury, the HSE has produced HSG76 Warehousing and Storage: A Guide to Health and Safety. It covers topics, such as manual handling, musculoskeletal awareness, mechanical handling, site transport and working at height plus more. However, the broader emphasis is on responsible warehouse practices, general prevention of avoidable risks and hazards and attendant information on accident and emergency procedures.
The HSG76 guidance has been written in conjunction with the Warehousing Health and Safety Forum, which is a joint committee with representation from trade unions, trade associations and employer bodies. When discussing racking requirements, the HSG76 guidance references SEMA training, guidance and initiatives.
What Does HSG76 Cover in Racking?
Although it is not a legal requirement to follow the advice in the HSG76, adhering to the guidance is usually enough to comply.
Here’s what they suggest:
- Racking should only be installed by competent people in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions (they also mention SEIRS as a programme for installation training).
- Inspect your racking regularly using a three-tiered process for warehouse racking.
- Anyone carrying out the visual (weekly) inspection will require training (they mention our SEMA Rack Safety Awareness course).
- Expert inspections should be carried out by highly qualified individuals who have been trained and assessed to enhance their competency in practical and cognitive skill sets. They mention our SEMA Approved Rack Inspector (SARI) initiative.
KNOWLEDGE HUB
Looking for guidance on your storage equipment? Head over to our Knowledge Hub where we provide an insight into warehouse systems, industry requirements, best practice measures and how to improve safety standards.
