A client has just moved into a new warehouse; we are in the process of developing a workplace transport plan.

I would like to phyically segregate palletising operations where guys re-pack pallets, shrink wrap them and prepare them for transport. Pallets are brought to and removed from the area by FLT's but any movement within the area is by pallet truck or powered pallet truck (the client feels this will restrict and slow down the operation)

In other areas FLTs fitted with red and blue warning lights, pedestrians wear hi-vis, but these areas are limited to pedestrians. (client says the guys are aware of the FLT's and feel this is not necessary). I would also like to close racking aisles if a pedestrian in working in one (this is a no no to the client, as he says the guys are not daft and this is not necessary)

Visitors or office staff can enter the warehouse, by using the main walkway (which is marked) but at one point they need to cross a gap of approx 25m to reach the warehouse office which is a busy FLT area, and pallet holding area. The client has proposed the vsitor presses a button, which sounds a bell which warns warehouse personnel a stranger is entering the area; I feel this is unacceptable, and will place the pedestrian at significant risk of being hit by a FLT. I would prefer a walkway and visitors being met and accompanied, which the client is resisting.

All suggestions welcome

"I would also like to close racking aisles if a pedestrian in working in one (this is a no no to the client, as he says the guys are not daft and this is not necessary)".

My experiences surround racking aisles being used by counterbalance or very narrow aisle (VNA) forklift trucks, including those thucks where a person is lifted to retrive goods from racking.

In those cases the risk assessments and work instructions contained controls that excluded any pedestrians in those areas while the trucks were being operated.

In practice, this was acheived by the use of chains that were extended across the ends of the aisles by the truck operator. I have to say, the practice worked well and no safety incidents were recorded.

Allowing both machines and pedestrians to work alongside each other in a space restricted area such as racking aises is a recipe for disaster, particulrly from reversing trucks and goods falling from height, which is not uncommon within industry.

Edited by user 24 October 2019 18:27:43(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Thanks everyone; glad my proposals are not "over the top" as my client thinks. I now have to get them to accept the proposals, which will be the difficult part. Also the aisles are used by atricualted VNA's, and the width of the aisles have been reduced in this new warehouse from the present one, but the height has increased by at least two if not three pallet heights, the reason why they are fitting auto fork lift stop facility and cameras on the trucks

Originally Posted by: Bazzer

I have been looking ay Reg 17 of the workplace regulations, and in particular 17(5) which states
Paragraph (2) of Regulation 17 shall apply so far as is reasonably practicable, to a workplace which is not a new workplace, a modification, an extension or a conversion
So am I right in saying that because this is a new warehouse buidling, reasonably practicable does not apply to the requirements of Reg 17, in particular segregation

That is correct. It has to have been done from the start, or in the case of extensions/modifications planned into the design. That is to say you can NOT get away with stating it wasn't reasonably practicable. Remember these regs came out in 1992, so that removes "reasonably practicable" from most warehouses etc.

At least that is my understanding of it.

What you are suggesting is entirely reasonable.  It won't slow things down much and will significantly improve safety within the warehouse.  I just wish our warehouse had been planned with segregation in mind, I'm living with a legacy design which now can't be changed and I'm constantly worried about not being able to phyisically separate pedestrians from vehicles, our only saving grace is that there are relatively few internal vehicles operating.

https://press.hse.gov.uk/2019/11/01/haulage-company-fined-after-worker-injured-by-moving-vehicle/ 

Found this HSE press release, looks very similar to your situation and is one you should take note of and show to your client.  I think he is treading on really dangerous ground.

Edited by user 04 November 2019 13:11:54(UTC)  | Reason: Found HSE presss release that is relevant to the post.