According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 2.8 million workplace injuries occur every year. Further, one worker dies every 99 minutes from a work-related injury.

That’s why creating a safe workplace for employees should be any business’s top priority, regardless of terms of size, functionality, or number of employees on site. Diverse workplaces, especially those with different gender, racial, ethnic, educational, and training backgrounds, need strong workplace safety procedures.

This is especially true for warehouse environments. In 2019, the warehouse sector saw the second-highest number of fatal work injuries.

As the world evolves, so too should your business’s safety measures. In 2020, we predicted:

• The continued shift toward automation and the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace

• A greater focus on mental health as a risk factor in safety prevention due to the link between mental and physical health

• Customized training plans to increase employee engagement and productivity by tailoring to an employee’s needs, skill level, and interest

• A greater focus on workplace violence and harassment, including zero-tolerance harassment policies

• An increase in safety-focused personnel roles, including Safety Consultant/Engineer, Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, Safety/Risk Manager, and Health and Safety Instructor

As we move into 2021, what has changed? Here’s what we believe will come this year.

Warehouse Safety in 2021

Keeping your warehouse safe during Covid-19

Safety measures have never been more important than they are during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are all working together to maintain high standards of hygiene and safety in the workplace and at home. 

While many of our knives are built to last for years, we understand that we must also consider how tool sharing might spread germs and disease. The CDC recommends washing your hands with warm soap and water for twenty seconds, wearing masks, and social distancing - but keeping your knives clean is equally important. Knife bases should be cleaned regularly with a 90% alcohol solution to kill germs. 

We pride ourselves on our durable and long-lasting line of products, but Martor also offers a line of disposable safety knives that can help curb health concerns. By giving each of your employees a new disposable safety knife, tool sharing and potential germ spreading can be limited.

The disposable Secumax 150 includes a lanyard hole to keep track of who has used the knife to prevent tool sharing and germ spreading. The Secunorm Smartcut MDP also maintains durability while providing a safer alternative to a heavier knife typically used warehouse-wide.

Warehouse safety trends to watch for in 2021

Beyond an increase in hygiene measures and disposable knives, here are trends and warehouse safety ideas you should consider adding to your warehouse safety checklist.

Increased training and safety

All warehouse safety training should be current, especially in an environment focused on holistic health. This means an increase in safety training for skills both new and old.

While this type of regular training is certainly a time investment, the benefits of doing so are endless. Employees will be better suited to protect themselves, their families, and their income from potential dangers, and you can protect your business and lower your costs. 

Here are just a few of the benefits of instilling a regular training regimen and keeping those warehouse safety tips in mind:

• Lower workers’ compensation insurance costs

• Reduced medical expenditures

• Smaller expenditures for return-to-work programs

• Fewer faulty products

• Lower costs for job accommodations for injured workers

We understand the importance of ongoing safety training and have dedicated the last 40 years to making sure every workplace is as safe as possible. In addition to workplace knife safety videos and training programs, MARTOR offers training videos and PDFs on how to properly use and change the blades on our cutting tools. 

A holistic approach to health

Expect The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)’s Total Worker Health program to be a priority.

As defined by the NIOSH, the program consists of “policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness-prevention efforts to advance worker well-being.” 

Simply put, the program exists to improve the well-being of workers across the country by protecting their safety and enhancing their health and productivity. The program is made up of interventions, policy changes, and practices that work together and create an increased culture of safety, protection, and health opportunities. This will be especially important in 2021 as we continue to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic and its lingering effects. 

To start a program in your workplace, begin with an organizational focus that assesses what you’re already doing. What are the challenges you face in keeping your employees safe and healthy? What changes can you make? Implement them and build them into your workplace through policies and programs.

Changes could include:

• Controlling hazards and exposures

• Designing work schedules and patterns that reduce stress

• Build a safer, healthier environment

• Provide fair pay and affordable health benefits

• Create policies and environments that are inclusive and accepting of workers’ differences

Smart PPE

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is commonplace in warehouses. Most often, it is used to minimize exposure to hazards stemming from warehouse hazards that lead to illness or injury such as chemicals, electrics, or mechanics. 

But amid Covid-19, PPE is also worn to protect warehouse workers and their loved ones from health issues. As technology and PPE evolves, it will be even more protective with the implementation of smart PPE. 

By using Bluetooth technology, smart PPE can deliver real-time information for thousands of metrics, including:

• Body temperature

• Heart rate

• Blood pressure

• Steps walked

• Sweat levels

In addition to these metrics, it’s hoped that smart PPE will soon be able to monitor employees’ fatigue levels. This will allow managers to create an even safer environment through efficient scheduling and proper break times. 

More automation

Like we previously predicted, artificial intelligence (AI) will still play a large role in warehouse safety trends in 2021. 

Many companies already use AI to increase efficiency. By integrating artificial intelligence into a warehouse setting, day-to-day operations and routine tasks are streamlined. In turn, this reduces operating expenses while boosting human capability and increasing efficiency. 

This year, however, the focus on AI will be to enhance employee safety. When tasks are automated, the chance of human error - and therefore injury - is significantly reduced. In addition, AI software can help identify and mitigate any blind spots in a company’s current safety efforts.

Flexible scheduling

In the blink of an eye, Covid-19 changed the world as we knew it. This included how and when we work. The need for flexibility was spotlighted, and we believe this is something that employers will continue to keep in mind in 2021.

Not only does flexible scheduling show your employees that you value them and their health, but it also helps keep your workplace safer. For instance, an employee with an everyday illness such as a cold or the flu - or even more seriously, Covid-19 - will no longer come into work sick. This protects other employees and reduces the risk of workplace injury.

Concerns about workplace safety and the changes implemented to increase safety are ever-changing. Safety trends in 2021 will likely focus on the use of smart PPE and holistic health, more AI, and increased safety training. 

That being said, the risk of cutting yourself with a knife or box cutter is an ever-present safety risk in a warehouse work environment. MARTOR USA reduces such safety hazards by offering cutting tools of various levels of safety, including concealed blade and retractable blade (semi-automatic and fully automatic). 

Further, our website offers training videos and PDFs on how to properly use and change the blades on our cutting tools. Our products are trusted by the world's leading enterprises, including more than 70% of the Fortune 100 and more than 80% of the Fortune Global 100.

We hope to remain a resource to managers who are looking to positively reinforce safety measures in the workplace--whether that means knife and blade safety or hygiene safety. Contact us today if you would like to try a free sample in your workplace.