Preventing Theft in Your Warehouse

Theft can be a big problem in warehouses, and it can be more difficult to detect due to large amounts of stock and high turnover of staff. That’s why companies who have warehouse environments need to take measures to make theft as difficult as possible, which can help cut down on the temptation to steal. Whether it’s using secure storage units to hold valuables, or regularly taking stock of your inventory, here are a few ways to prevent theft in a warehouse environment.

Carry out searches

When people end their shift, you may want to consider quick bag searches to ensure people aren’t taking things with them. Lockers can be useful, you can stop people bringing bags and personal items into the warehouse floor, making it harder for people to take items away with them. It also helps prevent theft of employees’ personal items by colleagues, which can cause a lot of ill-feeling in the workplace.

Keep different zones

There should be a clear distinction between goods coming in and goods going out, which can help prevent unscrupulous staff from sending things straight out of the warehouse before they come into the inventory. Using mezzanine floors can help you create different zones within your warehouse, ensuring there’s a clear flow of work.

Stay organised

A warehouse that’s messy and disorganised is more likely to suffer theft. Make sure you:

·Take regular inventories

·Ensure shelves are neatly laid out – making it more obvious when things are missing

·Move rarely used stock into storage

·Keep things clearly labelled

·Keep an open plan – it’s harder to steal if there are no quiet, isolated spots

Warehouses can often get quite messy and disorganised over time, so spend some time adding new shelving and organising your stock. By doing this, you make it more likely that thefts will be detected, so you can clamp down on the problem.

Control access

In addition to your warehouse staff, you’ll often have delivery drivers and other personnel around the warehouse, and in some cases, they can work with your employees to undertake large scale thefts. You can make this more difficult by ensuring only authorised people enter the warehouse, and that you use small parts storage to store those items that are small, high-value and easy to steal. You might want to consider having people clock in and out of their shifts or using access control panels so only authorised people can enter.

Make theft difficult

If your warehouse is spacious and open plan, it’s much easier to see when things are missing. Using pallet racking and ensuring there are no hidden, quiet corners can help make theft more difficult, as everyone’s activities are out in the open. This also makes supervision of staff easier, as you can see when and where people are working, so can keep track of activity.

For a range of products that can keep your warehouse organised and prevent theft, get in touch with Racking + Shelving Ltd by calling 028 9442 9037 or e-mail info@rslni.com.