Warehousing is one of the more dangerous places to earn a living in Britain, and the numbers make that hard to dispute.
The Health and Safety Executive's figures for 2025 record 126 workers killed in work-related accidents across all industries. Fifteen of those deaths were in transportation and storage, the sector that covers warehousing and distribution.
Across all sectors, being struck by a moving vehicle accounts for roughly 16% of fatal injuries and being struck by moving objects accounts for roughly 15% of fatal injuries.
Manufacturing, and transportation, and storage have elevated rates relative to the average across all industries: around 1.5 to 2.5 times the average.
Regarding non-fatal injuries, slips, trips or falls on the same level (30%), manual handling (17%), and being struck by a moving object (10%), account for 57% of all injuries.
The hazards worth understanding
Based on the statistics, there are some important hazards worth understanding for warehouses. These hazards are:
Workplace transport. The single biggest killer in a warehouse. RIDDOR data shows that 43% of incidents involving a forklift truck were impacts with a third person. Of those, around 65% were pedestrians doing something entirely unrelated to the truck's operation, 20% were colleagues or supervisors, and 15% were delivery drivers watching or helping with loading. The problem? Most people struck by a forklift had no business being anywhere near one.
Manual handling. 17% of all non-fatal injuries happened while handling, lifting, or carrying.
Slips and trips. Not to be confused with falls from height, slips, trips or falls on the same level accounted for 30% of all reported non-fatal injuries. This is the most common type of non-fatal injury. However, between slips, trips and falls and manual handling, they only account for 1% of fatal injuries.
Falls from height. The leading cause of workplace death nationally, and in warehouses it appears at mezzanine edges, on and off vehicles, and during work near racking.
Racking failure and falling objects. Largely a consequence of the first hazard on this list. Forklift impact damages uprights and beams, which reduces load capacity in ways that are not always visible, and collapses tend to follow accumulated damage that nobody acted on.
What are the solutions to improve warehouse traffic safety?
Safety signage
Colour and shape carry meaning before anyone reads a word, which matters in a workforce that may include agency staff, new starters, visiting drivers with no site knowledge and, sometimes, staff with limited English.
- Prohibition signs. Red circle with a diagonal bar, black symbol on white. These stop an action. "No pedestrian access" and "No unauthorised entry" are the warehouse staples.
- Warning signs. Yellow triangle, black border and symbol. These flag a hazard. "Caution forklift trucks operating", “Caution trip hazard”, and "Danger falling objects" belong here.
- Mandatory signs. Blue circle, white symbol. These compel an action. "Approved PPE must be worn" is the obvious one. Fire action procedures and hygiene actions for canteen areas are also covered by mandatory signs.
- Safe condition signs. Green, white symbol. These point to safety. Fire exits, first aid points, and assembly points.
- Fire equipment signs. Red square, white symbol. Extinguishers, hose reels, and alarm call points.
One warning worth noting. HSE guidance explicitly says to avoid using too many signs, because it causes confusion. Research on warning signage found that static signs lose their ability to hold attention over time, a phenomenon usually called sign blindness. A wall of thirty signs communicates less than four well-placed ones. If there are multiple warnings, actions, or notices required in a certain area, one custom multi-message sign is much more useful than multiple individual signs.
Floor markings
Markings are important for segregation purposes. HSE's warehousing guidance, HSG76, recommends floor markings to indicate pedestrian walkways, vehicle routes, no-go zones, loading and unloading areas, and racking protection zones. HSE also notes that road markings separating vehicle and pedestrian routes are effective in their own right.
Floor markings follow the same style as standard safety signs, with hazard warnings being yellow, mandatory being blue, etc.
Common floor markings for warehouses include:
- “Forklift trucks prohibited”
- “Danger forklift trucks”
- “No pedestrian access”
- “Pedestrian route”
Maintenance is also an important consideration. Faded lines and old lines left down after a layout change actively mislead and confuse. It’s important they are kept legible and up to date at all times.
Tagging Systems
A tag describes the current status of a specific piece of equipment when someone is deciding whether to use it.
Racking load notices are the clearest example for warehouses. HSG76 states that racking should carry a clear, unambiguous notice securely fixed to it, giving the maximum load and any specified load configuration. In a warehouse with twenty or more racking runs, each rated differently, no operative can hold that information in their head. The notice supplies knowledge that is otherwise unavailable.
The same principle carries across forklift safety tags, ladder tags, and scaffold tags. Where temporary works or mezzanine access are involved, each one answers a single question at the point of use: is this safe to use right now, has the equipment been recently checked, and by whom?
Safety posters
Safety posters are essential for warehouses as they highlight important safety messages. They are also an effective way to ensure the consistent communication of vital health and safety information.
Examples include:
- Forklift truck safety
- Health & safety at work guide
- Safe manual handling
Given the statistics on moving vehicles and manual handling, safety posters are an important reminder of safe practices and associated risks.
While these solutions for improving warehouse safety are crucial, they’re not exactly the full picture. Warehouse managers, operations managers, and health and safety managers need to be aware of the hazards throughout their workplaces and ensure that the business culture is one of safety first.
Signage, floor markings, and tags are in place so that new starters and contractors can understand the risks immediately upon arrival on site. They help delivery drivers follow safe loading and unloading procedures. They ensure that safe walkways are identified and staff are aware of moving vehicles in the warehouse.
What they can’t do is make sure that people take safety seriously, that is down to those in charge of the warehouse.
However, combining a safety-first mindset throughout the business with effective safety solutions like the ones highlighted in this article is how you create a safer warehouse and ensure that staff return home safely after a day at work.