Storage and warehousing can be a dangerous business if important safety rules are not adhered to. A recent serious injury to an employee of a warehousing company has prompted the Health and Safety Executive to remind companies of the necessity of following its rules.

The recent accident that resulted in the victim fracturing his pelvis and crushing his vertebra after a fall, demonstrates the importance of supervision and planning heights properly. The accident occurred outside normal working hours at the storage and warehousing company based in the UK.

According to the Health and Safety Executive:

'It highlights the need for companies to make sure safety procedures are in place whenever their employees are at work, not just during normal hours.

It continued to say that companies in this sector should always conduct a detailed risk assessment before starting work. They should also always ensure that there is a safe way for employees to move around and that they should be given any necessary training. Tower scaffolds, for instance, can provide an excellent means of access to different parts of the warehouse.

The Health and Safety Executive severely criticised the storage and warehousing plant at which the recent accident took place. It claimed that it would have been avoided if a supervisor had been on site. The supervisor would have been able to see that the boards on which the employee had been standing in the warehouse were unstable and therefore unsafe.

As a result the company was fined 20,000 for each breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. In addition to this it was ordered to pay court costs along with 5000 to the victim.

Falls are the most common cause of fatal accidents in storage and warehousing companies. They make up around 13% of all injuries that occur on site. However, the good news is that many of these accidents can be avoided if companies adhere to health and safety guidelines.