You're planning a new warehouse or redesigning an existing one, and safety needs to be built in from the ground up. But where do you start? Do you focus on pedestrian routes first, or vehicle movements? What about loading bays or high-risk zones around racking? And how do you make sure everything meets UK safety standards without creating a layout that hampers productivity?
We work with warehouse managers and facilities teams across the UK who face these exact questions. You want your people protected, your operations flowing smoothly, and your site compliant with health and safety legislation. While you can retrofit safety systems later, designing them in from the start avoids the compromises and constraints that come from working around an established layout.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the complete process of designing warehouse safety from initial risk assessment through to final installation. You'll learn how to identify hazards, plan protection systems, meet compliance requirements, and create a layout that keeps your team safe without compromising efficiency.
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Every safe warehouse begins with a clear understanding of how people and vehicles will move through the space. Before you specify a single barrier or mark a single line, you need to map the fundamental flows that will determine where hazards exist.
The hierarchy of controls gives you the framework for this approach. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to apply the principles of prevention, with elimination sitting at the top of that hierarchy. When you're designing a warehouse from scratch, you have a rare opportunity to eliminate hazards entirely through better layout and process design.
Can you route pedestrians completely away from vehicle-operating areas? That's elimination. Can you position loading bays to avoid reversing through high-traffic zones? That's elimination. Can you design storage layouts that eradicate the need for forklifts to make tight turns near walkways? That's elimination.
Where elimination isn't possible, good design can significantly reduce risk before you even consider physical protection systems. One-way traffic flows reduce collision risk. Wide aisles with good sightlines reduce struck-by incidents. Dedicated pedestrian routes with minimal vehicle crossing points reduce exposure.
Only after you've eliminated and reduced hazards through design should you move to engineered controls like barriers and segregation systems. This isn't just good practice - it's what the regulations require and what the HSE expects to see during inspections.
Start by documenting your operational requirements. How many forklifts will operate simultaneously? Where do pedestrians need access? What are your peak traffic times? Which areas involve reversing or tight manoeuvres? This operational reality shapes everything else.
The CDM Regulations 2015 place specific duties on those designing workplaces to eliminate or reduce risks during construction and throughout the building's use. This means safety can't be an afterthought or something you bolt on later. It has to be designed in.
Think about your warehouse in terms of risk zones rather than just storage zones. Where will vehicles and pedestrians come into close proximity? Where do blind corners exist? Which areas involve the heaviest or fastest-moving loads? These become your priority areas for protection.
A comprehensive risk assessment looks at three critical factors: the people moving through your space, the vehicles operating within it, and the infrastructure that connects them.
Begin with pedestrian movements. Where do staff need to walk to access their work areas? Where are common shortcuts likely to develop? People will always take the most direct route, so your design needs to accommodate natural movement patterns rather than fight against them.
Next, map vehicle routes with precision. Consider not just the main aisles but turning circles, reversing areas, and locations where forklifts might need to stop suddenly. According to HSE statistics, workplace transport incidents account for around a quarter of all workplace fatalities. Many of these involve vehicles striking pedestrians or people being trapped between vehicles and fixed structures.
Document every point where pedestrian and vehicle routes intersect. These are your highest-risk areas and will need the most robust protection measures. Some intersections can be eliminated through better layout design. Others will require physical segregation systems.
Don't forget vertical risks either. Areas beneath mezzanines, near loading bays, or around racking all present specific hazards that need designing out or protecting against.
Not all warehouse areas carry equal risk, and your protection systems should reflect that reality. Overprotecting low-risk areas wastes budget, while underprotecting high-risk zones leaves you exposed.
Loading bays consistently rank as the highest-risk areas in any warehouse. You've got reversing vehicles, elevation changes, and the constant movement of goods between vehicles and the building. These areas need comprehensive protection, including physical barriers around bay edges, protection for door frames, and clear segregation between operational and pedestrian zones.
High-traffic intersections come next. Anywhere pedestrians cross vehicle routes, or where multiple vehicle routes converge, needs careful design. The Workplace(Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require that traffic routes are suitable for the persons or vehicles using them and have sufficient separation between pedestrians and vehicles.
Racking areas present another significant risk zone. Forklift operators manoeuvring in tight spaces can easily clip uprights or endframes. A single damaged upright can compromise an entire racking structure. These areas need both rack protection systems and clear floor markings that give operators the guidance they need to navigate safely.
Pedestrian walkways through the warehouse might seem low-risk, but they become high-risk the moment they run alongside vehicular routes. These need physical segregation, not just painted lines. Painted floor markings fade, get covered in dust, and offer zero impact protection when a forklift drifts into a walkway.
Segregation is the most reliable way to prevent struck-by incidents in warehouses. The principle is simple: separate people from moving vehicles wherever possible. The execution requires careful planning.
PAS13:2017, the code of practice for safety barriers used in workplace traffic management, provides the framework for designing segregation systems. It specifies how barriers should be tested, installed, and maintained to provide reliable protection.
Physical segregation means creating distinct zones with barriers that can withstand vehicle impacts. This doesn't mean blocking off areas or creating maze-like routes. Good segregation design maintains operational flow while keeping pedestrians out of vehicle strike zones.
Where complete segregation isn't possible, you need controlled crossing points. These should be positioned at locations with good visibility, clearly marked with both physical and visual cues, and protected with appropriate barrier systems. Some sites use pedestrian gates that require deliberate action to open, creating a moment where people check for approaching vehicles.
Visual segregation supports physical segregation by making routes instantly obvious to everyone. LED projected floor markings can define walkways, vehicle routes, and hazard zones with high-visibility graphics that don't wear out like paint. Combined with physical barriers, they create an intuitive wayfinding system that guides behaviour.
If you're working with limited space and need to design safe pedestrian routes without compromising operational efficiency, read our guide: How to Keep Pedestrians Safe in Narrow Warehouse Aisles
Different zones need different protection systems, and selecting the right specification for each area prevents both over-engineering and inadequate protection.
For pedestrian walkways alongside vehicle routes, you need barriers that absorb impact without failing. Polymer safety barriers flex when struck, dissipating energy across their structure rather than transferring it to anchor points or the floor. This flexibility means they protect both the pedestrian zone and the infrastructure around it. Unlike steel barriers that deform permanently after impact, polymer systems return to their original shape and continue protecting.
Loading bay areas require protection at multiple levels. Bay edge barriers prevent vehicles from reversing off the dock. Door frame protection stops repeated impacts from damaging the building structure. Bollards protect vulnerable corners and equipment. Each element works together to create comprehensive protection for this high-risk zone.
Racking protection systems need to withstand impacts from multiple angles. Traditional rack guards bolt to the floor and create trip hazards while taking up valuable space. Modern polymer rack protection systems use their own weight and internal shock absorbers to stay in place without floor fixings, maximising usable space while providing robust protection.
Where visibility is a challenge, LED projected floor markings add a layer of visual safety that works day and night. These systems project clear, bright markings onto the floor surface, creating instant visibility of hazard zones, walkways, and vehicle routes. They're particularly valuable in areas with poor natural light or where traditional painted markings would wear away quickly.
Compliance isn't just about avoiding prosecution. It's about creating a defensible safety system that protects your people and demonstrates due diligence.
Start with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which places a general duty on employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees. This includes providing a safe place of workwith safe access and egress.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 get more specific, requiring that traffic routes are organised so pedestrians and vehicles can circulate safely. Routes must be suitable for the people or vehicles using them, sufficient in number and size, and suitably indicated where necessary.
PAS 13:2017 provides the detailed specification for safety barrier systems. Any barriers you install should meet the impact resistance requirements and be installed according to guidance. This means documented impact testing, appropriate fixing methods, and consideration for futurere configuration needs.
The CDM Regulations require that safety is designed in during the planning phase. This means documenting your risk assessment, showing how you've eliminated or reduced risks through design, and creating a safety file that explains the protective systems you've installed.
Document everything. Your design drawings, risk assessments, product specifications, and installation records all demonstrate that you've taken a systematic approach to warehouse safety. If an incident occurs or an HSE inspector visits, this documentation shows you've met your legal duties.
Very few warehouse safety projects happen all at once. Budget constraints, operational continuity, and practical logistics usuallymean phasing installations over time.
Start with your highest-risk areas. Loading bays,high-traffic intersections, and pedestrian crossing points should come first. These are the zones where incidents are most likely, and where protection delivers the biggest safety improvement.
Design your system to be modular from the start. Polymer barrier systems can be extended or reconfigured as your operation grows or changes. This modularity means you can install basic protection now and enhance it later without ripping out and replacing everything.
Consider the disruption each phase will cause. Some installations can happen during normal operations with minimal impact. Others might need overnight or weekend work. Sequence your phases to minimize downtime while still addressing the most critical risks first.
Build in budget for professional installation where it matters most. Complex intersections, loading bay protection, and high-impact zones benefit from expert installation that ensures systems perform asdesigned. Simpler barrier runs or rack protection might be suitable for in-house teams to install, keeping costs down while maintaining quality.
Plan for growth from day one. Where might you need to add racking in two years? Could your pedestrian routes change if you automate partof the operation? Designing flexibility into your protection systems means you can adapt without complete redesign.
Designing warehouse safety from the ground up gives you the chance to get it right first time. You avoid the compromises and limitations that come with retrofitting protection around an established layout. You create a workspace that's inherently safer because hazards have been designed out and protection has been built in.
Clarity works with businesses across the UK to design and install comprehensive warehouse safety systems. Our team combines expertise in safety barrier engineering, visual management, and UK compliance requirements to create protection systems that work with your operation.
If you're planning a new warehouse or redesigning an existing facility, speak to our specialists about creating a safety design that protects your people, meets UK regulations, and adapts as your business grows.
Request a consultation with Clarity's warehouse safety specialists.