Applying ergonomic principles to warehouse workflows increases employee safety, prevents injury, and boosts productivity and efficiency in the workplace. According to OSHA, employers must provide a safe, healthful working environment—free from recognized hazards, including those caused by physical strain. In this guide, we share a brief overview of what ergonomics is, then offer 10 tips for improving ergonomics in warehouse facilities.
What Is Ergonomics?
Ergonomics is a study of work environments which aims to reduce injury and discomfort. In warehouses, adjustments and rules related to ergonomics aim to prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) or other injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, shoulder and elbow injuries, trigger finger, muscle strains, and back injuries. MSDs can be caused by everything from intense manual labor to standing for long periods, making ergonomics especially important for warehouse employees who are frequently on their feet, completing repetitive motions, or bending and turning when picking products from shelves.
10 Tips to Improve Ergonomics in the Warehouse
Warehouse ergonomics should be central to your workplace culture, and is a key component of success in any workplace that relies heavily on physical labor. From when to hold training sessions to how to create an environment of open communication, these tips will help you improve ergonomics in your warehouse facility.
1. Prioritize Regular Training
Train employees at least once a year on the importance of and proper practices for ergonomics in the warehouse. Provide refresher training as roles and responsibilities change, when layouts are updated, or when new employees are hired. Adequate training should emphasize the importance of ergonomics from management and should include clear goals and objectives, division of responsibilities, and consistent communication with the workforce.
Instruction should also include an overview of the benefits of ergonomics, proper techniques for relevant tasks (such as how to push or pull heavy loads while minimizing strain), and information about how to report ergonomics hazards or spot early symptoms of ergonomics-related injuries.
2. Use Visual Cues to Reinforce Ergonomic Practices
Floor tape, markings, and signs can provide regular visual reminders of proper ergonomic techniques, reinforcing what employees learned in training and preventing common workplace injuries. Use custom-printed floor marking products to provide clear instructions for proper lifting technique or ideal body alignment, and apply pre-printed or color-coded tape to identify areas where potential hazards exist—for example, in areas where slippery surfaces occur or heavy equipment may be in use. Create better organization when you use color-coded floor tape to highlight the location of ergonomic assistance equipment to remind employees where it is available and encourage its use. Superior Mark® floor tape and signs feature beveled edges and a heavy-duty recessed adhesive, so they’re designed to stand up to the frequent traffic in industrial facilities, ensuring your messaging remains legible in the long term.
3. Implement Ergonomic Picking Methods
Warehouse workers are prone to both mental fatigue and physical strain from significant repetition in movement during picking, the process of retrieving products from a warehouse to fulfill customer orders.
There are many warehouse picking methods, including single-order, serpentine, and zone-specific picking. Choosing the right method for your facility increases efficiency and can have important implications for ergonomics: To prevent MSDs, physical fatigue, or other injuries, it’s best to minimize the distances employees walk, the repetitive motion required to complete a task, and the amount of bending and twisting they must do.
4. Optimize the Warehouse Layout
Warehouse employees face significant risk of strain simply from being on their feet all day, walking along racking or shelves to pick products. After selecting the appropriate ergonomic picking method for your location, organize your warehouse accordingly to reduce the amount of walking required for the method.
Look at your warehouse layout strategically and set it up to accommodate the most efficient pathways for picking. You may choose to group items by size, seasonality, or commonly ordered products to avoid employees having to retrace their steps, place packing areas along shelving rather than at either end so employees don’t have to travel farther than necessary. Warehouse labels, floor tape, and other markings provide clear visual cues to remind employees of layouts, suggested paths, and where goods are stored, making it easy to adhere to established processes.
5. Rely on Technology for Repetitive Tasks
Repetitive tasks, such as twisting of the torso or bending over, can lead to muscle strain and fatigue. Provide alternatives to repetitive tasks with picking assistance technology that helps alleviate ergonomic challenges. Using Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to carry packed goods to loading docks can be a good solution to lessen repetition, thereby reducing employee strain. AGVs and other devices reduce the need for workers to handle heavy loads, can deliver goods to more comfortable positions for picking, and reduce the amount of time workers spend walking back and forth from different areas—all small but important changes that can improve ergonomics in the warehouse.
6. Conduct Regular Audits and Inspections
Continuous improvement—part of a 5S approach to management—is critical to effective workplace programs, including those that promote warehouse ergonomics. Conduct regular audits and inspections of working areas to ensure relevant equipment and signage remains in working order. As you audit the area, review workers’ posture, practices, and pain points and take note of topics to address immediately or cover in future refresher training sessions. The 5S step Sustain is ideal for ensuring continuous improvement in industrial facilities, including for policies for ergonomics safety.
If an audit or inspection reveals significant numbers of, or a notable increase in ergonomics injury reports, worn or outdated visual cues, or a distinct lack of compliance with ergonomics requirements, you may choose to organize a Kaizen event dedicated specifically to ergonomics methods, techniques, and requirements.
7. Establish a System for Employee Feedback
Employees can help improve ergonomic processes by voicing their concerns and providing feedback regarding procedural changes. Employees should be involved firsthand in any assessments or audits conducted at your facility, as well asin continuous evaluations of ergonomic processes. Make it easy for employees to provide this feedback and report any issues they encounter by creating a centralized system for receiving, organizing, and reviewing input.
8. Create an Environment of Open Communication
Just as employees should be comfortable providing feedback on established processes, they should also feel comfortable in reporting MSD symptoms right away—as soon as symptoms begin, before they have a chance to progress. Create an environment of open communication and encourage employees to report instances of pain, muscle fatigue, or soreness when it starts; ensure there is no fear of retaliation in case of reports. Establish a process for addressing these complaints to ensure timely medical care as needed, adjust the affected employee’s workload as needed, or provide support to avoid greater issues developing.
9. Encourage Regular Breaks and Stretching
Fatigue is a major contributor to ergonomic injuries in warehouse environments. Encourage employees to take regular breaks during their shifts to rest, stretch, and rehydrate. During training, share information with employees about stretching techniques that can help prepare their body for work, which prevents injuries, or that can soothe sore muscles after a shift. Visual cues are important here, as well: Post reminders for staff to stretch and move or take regular breaks for their health.
10. Address Environmental Factors
Factors like temperature, humidity, vibrations, and noise can affect employee health, comfort, and performance, an especially important consideration in cold storage facilities and warehouse spaces without climate control. Employers have a responsibility to ensure that the warehouse environment is comfortable and safe for workers, communicate with employees about proper dress and gear, and provide personal protective equipment (PPE), such as noise-dampening headphones, supportive braces, or other environmentally appropriate gear to help maintain employee safety and ergonomics.
Follow these tips to improve ergonomics in your warehouse, creating an environment that’s safe and productive for employees. For more on improving industrial, warehouse, and manufacturing facilities, explore our Resource Center.
Further Reading: https://www.osha.gov/ergonomics
