WAREHOUSE RISK AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES:

Introduction to warehouse risk; Fire Risk; Environmental Risks; Burglary and Theft;
predisposing factors; Safety and prevention

Introduction to warehouse risk

In general, the risks to which warehouses are exposed relate to a number of factors. Past
experience and statistics concerning warehouse loss events both demonstrate that they form a
significant part of the total losses in industrial environments as a whole. Adequate business risk
management practice requires an initial identification of the hazards to which the company is
exposed, followed by appropriate risk assessment, and subsequent implementation of plans for
risk prevention and control.
1. Fire risk
When fires in warehouses do occur, they almost always have devastating consequences. This is
because difficulties often arise when trying to control and extinguish fires at the initial stage,
even when automatic fire-extinguishing systems are installed throughout the warehouse. As a
consequence, it is often difficult to establish the exact origin of fires and to reduce their
occurrence in warehouses by acting on only one of these factors. Experience of warehouse fires
shows that extensive damage occurs as a result of factors such as the following:

 Late discovery of the fire

 Rapid fire spread
 Inadequacies in storage space layout and design
 Lack of compartmentalisation
 Bad housekeeping
 A disproportionate amount of stored goods
 Generation of a high level of toxic fumes and gases
 Absence of automatic sprinklers
 Absence of a damage reduction and action plan in the event of emergency
Fire occurs due to the rapid and continuous combustion of a material. This requires three basic
elements:
 Fuel, which is the element that burns. Examples include paper, cardboard or petrol.
 Oxygen, found in the air and present when certain substances decompose.
 Energy, to raise the temperature of the fuel to its ignition point, for example, a flame,
sparks or lightning.
 Added risks due to external factors
• Adjacent buildings. Sometimes, the origin of a fire is not in the warehouse itself
but in an adjacent building.
• Fires caused by third parties foreign to the warehouse
• Roofs of different heights on adjacent buildings.
• The presence of trees or undergrowth around the warehouse can cause a fire to
spread to the inside of the warehouse.
 Fire protection measures
 i. Automatic detection systems installed to allow fire fighting to begin as soon as a
fire starts. These systems must be connected to a 24-hour alarm reception system.
ii. Automatic extinguishing systems. The best way to prevent a warehouse fire from
spreading is by installing sprinklers. When a decision is made to use sprinklers to
protect a building used for warehousing or storage purposes, it is important to ensure
that the entire building and any communicating buildings are also protected.
iii. Manual extinguishing equipment. This includes fire extinguishers and fire
hydrants. Although the use of 45 mm hoses involves greater difficulty, this does not
justify the use of 25 mm hoses, which have a much smaller capacity. There is need
for appropriate staff training in emergency procedures.
2. Environmental risk
For the most part, environmental risk associated with warehouses is limited to the presence of
materials which are potentially toxic for the general environment or the workplace environment.
In this respect, the following hazards can be identified:
a. Hazards related to the stored materials. If they consist of chemicals or toxic, corrosive or
flammable materials, the main risk concerns emergency situations resulting from accidental
spillage. In addition, there is increased environmental risk of toxic fume emissions being
released into the atmosphere due to a fire in a warehouse containing such products. Some
examples of the products involved include household cleaning products, home improvement
products, cosmetics and personal hygiene products.
b. Hazards related to equipment used for loading and transportation activities. The main
environmental risks are those arising from the noise and exhaust fumes from lifting equipment or
vehicles with diesel or petrol engines. The vehicles may be for indoor use, such as forklift trucks,
or outdoor use, such as lorries in loading bays. One must also consider the possibility of
accidental acid spillage from batteries during recharging operations.
Basic environmental risk safety measures initially involve the suitable classification of the
stored goods.
i. Potentially toxic chemical substances, such as petroleum products, solvents and dyes
must be adequately labelled and safety data sheets must be provided for each product in
order to enable their use in the event of an emergency. The provision of information and
training for workers handling the products is an effective way to reduce risk. This is
particularly true since in the event of spillage and subsequent cleaning, it is essential that
staff are aware of the risks to which they are exposed and the possible consequences for
their own health and the environment.
ii. In certain circumstances, it may be appropriate to install safety guards or rails on shelving
and racking to protect them against being knocked or struck by forklift trucks.
iii. Adequate planning and maintenance of the areas where materials are stored is necessary
to prevent their loss and/or accidents. The location of different chemical products must be
shown on a warehouse map and a record of product entries and exits must be kept.
Special attention should be given to the location of mutually incompatible substances
which could provoke dangerous chemical reactions.
 iv. In general, warehouses in this category must be compartmentalised or adequately
sectioned off from other buildings occupied by persons, from other warehousing
facilities, and from manufacturing areas
v. With respect to the battery-charging areas or premises found in many warehouses, the
main environmental risks arise from acid splashes or spillage. These can be reduced by
installing a waterproof, acid-resistant floor with a slope which allows easier removal of
cleaning water and acid spills.
vi. Frequent cleaning of the premises and the use of suction to eliminate dust from battery
chambers, while taking care not to suction the electrolyte.
vii. Environmental pollution must also be considered. Adequate safety conditions should be
maintained with regard to noise and exhaust fumes produced by forklift trucks with diesel
engines.
3. Natural risks
Natural risks are those caused by natural forces. The magnitude of the losses caused by these
forces depends on:

 The intensity of the natural phenomenon

 Construction methods

 Protection mechanisms against catastrophes of this type

Although these type of loss events occur less frequently than fire, their damage potential is
usually greater.
i. Wind
Modern lightweight roofs can have entire roof panels torn off by wind. Walls and wall
enclosures can also be affected, leading to the collapse of the building if these are designed only
to enclose the structure without providing resistance to excess pressure or excess loads. Design
regulations exist to enable calculation of the wind loads exerted on a building and its roof.
Factors influencing design choices include the wind regime and the topographical location of the
building.
ii. Flooding, rain, hail and snow
Flooded land can lead to landslides and the collapse of buildings if their structures have not been
efficiently designed to withstand land movements. Other possible types of water damage to
buildings are those resulting from rain, hail or snowfall on the roof. Damage caused by these
phenomena includes leaks, burst water pipes or drains, collapsing roofs, smashed skylights and
windows, and so on. Aside from building damage, there may also be damage to the stored goods,
which could prove costlier than that to the building itself.
 To prevent environmental and other damage occurring (such as that to stored goods),
warehouses can be fitted with sloping floors and underground drainage for the collection
of water.
  To prevent damage to goods, it is advisable to place them in an area which is least
exposed to such risks. In buildings with several floors, goods should be stored on the
upper floors.
 Waterproofing and/or the sealing of openings in the building structure, such as doors and
windows.
iii. Lightning strikes
Lightning produced in storms is directly or indirectly responsible for frequent harm to persons
and damage to goods. Among the most common types of damage caused to warehouses are:
 Perforation of electrical installations
 Fire and dangerous sparks
 Damage to highly sensitive computer or electronic equipment

The basic elements of lightning protection systems and the requirements which should be
fulfilled to ensure effective installation are the following:
 An air terminal installed on the warehouse roof. It must extend a minimum of 2 m
above the highest point of the structure to be protected. The zone of protection must be
such that even the most vulnerable point of the warehouse falls within it, within a
maximum radius of 100 m. The zone of protection must be guaranteed by the
manufacturer.
 Down Conductors. These are made of metal, principally copper, and allow the electric
current to travel down from the air terminal to the earth connection. They must lead as
directly and vertically as possible to the ground and, in addition, special care should be
taken to ensure their proper maintenance and to avoid knocks and electrolytic corrosion.
 Earth connection. This is comprised of a set of earthing rods of suitable diameter and
with the lowest possible electrical resistance level (ideally 10 ohms). They must be
connected to the main earthing system for the site where the warehouse is located.

4. Theft and intrusion risk

Theft and intrusion are other risks to which warehouses are exposed. As regards the risk of
intrusion, this can have highly damaging consequences for warehouses in the form of arson or
intentionally setting fire to property. Warehouses have high combustible loads and are therefore
prime targets for such crimes, particularly when there are no people in the building. The reasons
are wide and varied and experience shows that personal grudges or revenge can play a part. As
for theft, although it exists as a risk factor in all warehouses, assessment of the degree of risk it
varies from one warehouse to the next. In general, two key factors require consideration:
 To what degree are the products attractive to thieves?
 Theft vulnerability or the ease with which the goods can be stolen.

However, general recommendations can be divided into the following categories:

i. Passive protection measures
In general, thieves want to break into warehouses and escape with the stolen goods as quickly as
possible. The main aim of passive protection measures is to delay entry into the warehouse for as
long as possible. Access is usually gained through openings in the structure of the building, such
as doors or windows.
Implementing suitable security measures in these areas can be one of the most simple and
effective ways to prevent thefts in warehouses.
ii. Active protection measures
Active or electronic protection measures are those intended to detect and raise the alarm if any
intrusion into the premises takes place.
iii. Organisational measures
Organisational measures comprise all relationships between the various agents, particularly
people, in charge of ensuring the implementation and proper operation of the security measures.