2015 was a big year for racking safety, with the SEMA Safety Conference in November, the SEMA Seminar in June, and HSE’s introduction of new CDM regulations, but 2016 promises to be even bigger. Here are a few things to look out for this year.
1. Racking Safety Awareness Training & Racking Inspection Training
As usual, SEMA are running a variety of racking safety awareness courses throughout the year. SEMA have outlined their schedule for 2016 with three to four courses being run every month. The courses are all on racking safety, cantilever racking safety, and racking maintenance.
Many businessmen and SEMA approved racking inspectors will be in attendance. Here at Storage Equipment Experts, we too are continuing our commitment to safety training by continuing to run our racking inspection training course: the best course of its kind in the UK.
2. HSE’s New Attitude Towards Racking Safety, Warehouse Safety, and Workplace Safety
The current government and the previous coalition government have made several promises to treat mental health with the same concern as physical health, and HSE’s new series of courses seem to echo these promises. On their website, HSE has a full list of the courses on offer in the first few months of 2016, and several of these are dedicated to understanding how behaviour and mental health can affect the workplace.
The idea that prevention is the best form of protection for racking has long been a mantra for people in the warehousing industry. Consequently, in the June 2015 SEMA Seminar, the idea of “racking protection” was clarified; physical protection should be a last resort but racking safety regulations and regular racking inspection come first.
With HSE’s new courses on workplace behaviour and mental health, managers and employers can focus on a third level of protection: Why do workers take risks in the first place? How can I identify safe and unsafe behaviour? And how can I encourage healthier and therefore safer behaviour in my workplace?
At Storage Equipment Experts, we have long believed that the right behaviour, the right attitude, and the right motivation are key to the safety of any business. We agree that, while regulations are important, it is also vital to look at the human side of safety. Businesses are usually keen to motivate their staff for sales, but they are not often as keen to motivate them for safety.
However, Storage Equipment Experts, HSE, and the larger safety community see things differently. With a new attitude towards mental health and some great training lined up, 2016 will be a brave new year for racking safety and British workplace safety as a whole.
Start this brave new year with a smart and safe choice. Contact Storage Equipment Experts for a racking inspection and racking inspection training from the best SEMA approved racking inspector in the UK!
