Training and evidence for warehouses and distribution

Forklifts, reach trucks and pedestrians pass through the same aisles all shift, racking holds loads well above head height, and stock moves by hand at every stage. PHW trains the forklift and reach truck operators and supplies the transport and handling paperwork behind them.

Get a quote The legal position

The risks this trade carries

In your own terms, not a generic hazard list.

Forklift and pedestrian movement in the same aisles

Counterbalance forklifts and reach trucks working in aisles alongside pickers on foot is the standard warehouse risk, controlled through segregation, a marked layout and assessed operator competence.

Racking and picking at height

Loads stored above head height mean a dropped or dislodged item can fall a real distance, and picking from height itself needs the right access equipment, not an improvised step.

Manual handling of stock

Cases, totes and mixed loads moved by hand throughout a shift remain one of the most common sources of injury in a distribution environment.

Sharing the warehouse floor with delivery vehicles

Where HGVs and vans load and unload at the same site, workplace transport risk extends from the yard through the loading bay and onto the warehouse floor.

The law that applies

Named, not paraphrased into a claim.

PUWER 1998 regulation 9 places the duty to train and assess forklift and reach truck operator competence on the employer, with the Approved Code of Practice L117 setting out the training model.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 17, require a safe layout for vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to picking and access at height from racking.

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 require an assessment of manual handling risk and the use of mechanical aids where reasonably practicable.

Employer duty

The employer still authorises each operator or member of staff in writing; PHW's certificates, records and packs are the evidence the employer relies on for that decision, not a substitute for it.