For companies with a warehouse or distribution center, it is extra difficult, but also extra important, to take proper measures regarding the coronavirus. What can you do to best safeguard the health of employees and third parties?
General guidelines
Of course, what you should do anyway is to follow the general guidelines of the RIVM. Think about keeping a sufficient distance, washing your hands and limiting visits from outsiders to the minimum. This will already be well regulated in almost all warehouses. With regard to the RIVM guidelines, the following issues deserve extra attention:
- Keeping up to date: Keep the news and the RIVM website carefully. The guidelines may change due to current developments regarding COVID-19. As soon as measures become more stringent or relaxed, or as soon as new measures are introduced, it is important to quickly adjust the policy with your team.
- Communications: Provide clear communication to employees. Consider a periodic (e.g. weekly) conference call or mailing informing employees of the latest developments and how they affect your organization. Also communicate via signs/posters/letters in the warehouse, cafeteria and restrooms.
Policies in the warehouse
A few important policies for the warehouse or distribution center:
- Limit access to the warehouse to only those for whom it is strictly necessary. Allow employees to alternate between the office and warehouse as little as possible, and allow employees with health issues to stay home.
- Scattered start and end of shifts and break times so as not to have too many employees together at the same time.
- Hand over documents, packing slips, keys and parts at a distance as much as possible. For example, by placing them in a container. And then disinfect the object handed over. Also try to do meetings and transfer of shifts by phone or conference calls as much as possible.
- Protect your people where necessary with extra protective equipment, such as gloves. And talk to them about their health and safety. How they feel during these times varies from person to person, and as an employer, by engaging in conversation, you can help your employees.
- Clean all machines, material handling equipment, scanners, cash registers and other equipment in a timely and thorough manner. Make sure small groups use the same equipment and clean it after each shift.
"Can you, perhaps with automation or adjustments in processes or policies, still make improvements? Dysel can help you with that!"
The role of automation
Proper automation in the warehouse is more important than ever in these times. There are plenty of software systems that will help you digitize and automate processes in the warehouse. Such as ordering, picking, put-away, inventory and dispensing of parts. The benefits of good automation in the warehouse are extra nice in these special times:
- Employees can handle processes on their mobile device or scanner without it falling into the hands of others, and they can clean these devices themselves.
- Information can be viewed digitally instead of passing paper files to each other or diving into the filing cabinet all the time.
- With good automation, you work more efficiently, requiring less communication and interaction on the shop floor.
- Good automation means fewer errors, less administration, less hassle.
For any company with a warehouse, it's a good time to look at its policies and processes right now. Are your people working in an optimally safe environment where their health is a top priority? Or can you, perhaps with the help of automation or adjustments in processes or policies, still make improvements? Dysel can help you with that! Send an email to info@dysel.com.
