When Bunty said, “Mummy ne kaha hai haath pure do minute tak dhone chahiye” [Mom has said we should wash our hands for a good 2 minutes], we all should have taken him seriously.

Amidst the coronavirus outbreak, sanitation has been stressed upon a lot. What surprises me is that the concept of cleanliness feels novel to people. When in reality, 

“Sanitation is a physical measure that has probably done more to increase human life span than any kind of drug or surgery.” - Deepak Chopra

Sanitation becomes even more significant when it comes to warehouses as anything stored here is going to come in contact with the world one way or the other. Plus, it’ll ensure the safety of the employees themselves. So here are some tips to keep it spick & span.

Operation Sanitation: ON!

To ensure your warehouses are a safe place to work, it becomes mandatory to maintain the highest standards of cleanliness. Following are the 3 steps to achieve that:

1. TRAIN THE WORKFORCE, MAKE IT STRONGER

This is the basic step. You need to keep the warehouse personnel educated about everything:

• Why is warehouse sanitation important?
• What are the different sanitization processes & how to implement them? 
• Whom to talk to when problems are identified? 
• How to train the new staff?

Award people with incentives when the warehouse sanitation is 10/10!

2. REGULAR CHECKUPS FOR BETTER HEALTH

There should be a regular inspection & organization for various sections of the warehouses. Following is the list of rules to be followed for ease of execution of warehouse sanitation process:

• Every product that comes in and goes out of the warehouse should be thoroughly checked.
• Examine damaged or contaminated products for signs of pest activity. Set up quarantine areas for such products to prevent it from spreading.
• Organize the products properly on shelves & label all of them. Implement stock-rotation in such a way that older products are always used first.
• Change the cleaning tools like brooms, shovels, dustpans, trashcans etc every month.
• Buy equipment that is necessary for cleaning of hard to reach spaces.

3. KEEP IT SPECKLESS

The final step is the cleaning of the warehouse. These are the areas to be cleaned: 

• Entrance & dumpster area should be cleaned daily.
• Growth of weed & tall grass should be avoided in the area surrounding the warehouse. Keep the area clear.
• Sweep the warehouse floor daily with disinfectants. However, make sure it’s done before & after the warehouse operations are carried out to avoid employee injuries. 
• Sanitize the material handling equipment that is used for transport activities daily. 
• Install proper plumbing & sewage removal for proper disposal of warehouse waste. 
• Report & isolate any leak or spillage. Clean it with mild detergent & water. 
• Clean up or dispose off any spilt or opened products as this can cause immediate harm to employees, damage equipment, contaminate other products or even attract pests. 
• Carry out pest control at your warehouses every month.

Bonus Tip: 

Divided by Responsibility, United by Safety

Warehouse sanitation is not a one-person task. It requires a team to execute it to the T. Hence, make sure that you assign the concerned employees with specific roles during the training phase. Provide a checklist to each contributor so that the warehouse sanitation is carried out completely & efficiently. 

Once you follow this in all your warehouses, you will be able to call your warehouse a ‘safe space’. Do you have more tips on warehouse sanitation than what we have mentioned? Let us know in the comment section!

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