Safety First

LOG.Middle East sits down with Alexander Borg, Training Consultant for Dubai Industrial City, to talk warehousing health and safety

Having been in the logistics industry for more than 20 years, Alexander Borg has experienced warehousing safety from the ground up.

Starting out as an assistant store keeper and working his way up through various managerial positions, he now lends his expertise to companies throughout Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Southeast Asia, offering solutions in warehousing safety.

“When you talk about health and safety, a lot of people are concerned,” says Borg. “If you look at warehousing, you will find generally shelving, forklifters, cleaners, a lot of people are involved. There must be a clear policy coming from the top down, with implementation from the ground up,” he says.

According to Borg, the first thing that should be in place is a standard of operations. It should be revised every two to three years depending on the changes in the company, including growth or turnover of staff.

“Even a cleaner should know how to use f iref ighting equipment.” So what about the training? Borg suggests companies implement an induction course for employees, where procedures can be introduced, as well as providing a tour of the premises.

“From my experience, when I visit the warehouses in different countries, I ask them, ‘How many of you have attended an induction course?’ The answer will
be maybe 50 per cent of them.”

“Companies must give an induction process to the people using the equipment,” says Borg. Whether f ire extinguishers are hanging out of reach of employees, emergency exits do not exist, or risk is just not recognised until it’s too late, Borg says, with some adequate direction and execution, hazards can be prevented.

“The bottom line is this: the policy needs to come from the top-down, while the implementation should come from the ground-up.” Alexander Borg will be providing three courses throughout June in Dubai Industrial City, teaching proper health and safety measures in warehousing.