If you have a business that carriers a large amount of stock, then there is a good chance that you will also have a warehouse. The contents of that warehouse will be some of your biggest and most valuable assets, so it is vitally important to keep them safe at all times.

Here, Lucinda Thorpe, Business Development Executive at Newgate, shares her insight into the best ways to protect your warehouse and what lies within it.

Theft

It stands to reason that theft is likely to be one of your biggest concerns when it comes to warehouse security, and in the UK, 18% of overall retail shrinkage came from crime targeting suppliers and warehouses. This type of crime cost retailers £2.2 billion in 2019, so it cannot be ignored.

Sadly, this can not only come from outside, but within the business too, so it is important to find ways in which you can implement sensible and effective security measures without leaving your employees feeling as though they are not trusted.

Unfortunately, theft by staff members increased by 4.6% in 2019, and although it is not nice to think about, it is necessary to protect your business from the potential threat which lies within. Manual data entry leaves plenty of room for errors and means that thefts can be undertaken or simply not spotted.

Using technology that incorporates barcode scanners or RFID readers to complete automatic counts takes much of this away and allows goods to be added to your inventory as soon as they arrive. It is also a great way to save time and make your warehouse practices more efficient.

It may also be necessary to limit the access that staff have to higher value areas, making them less accessible and therefore offering better protection.

Outdoor security

You will be aware of the risk that your warehouse will face from outside, and so erecting a good perimeter is very important. Make sure that you have strong and robust fences, security gates and barriers in place which will deter criminals and make it much harder for them to gain access to your site.

Adding CCTV will also help to keep criminals at bay and can help to identify them should anything happen. Intruder alarms will also ensure that you are alerted to any disturbances and act quickly to protect your staff and your stock. You should also ensure that all windows and doors have the very best seals and locks to make sure that you minimise any weak points that the building might have.

Access control can be another way to ensure that there is no-one in your warehouse who shouldn’t be. By implementing cards, key fobs or access codes, you can make it much harder for anyone to simply walk inside and help themselves. These can also be added internally to add extra security to high value areas and help you to determine who has had access to them and when.

Stock damage

Theft is not the only threat to your business, and so you will also want to take action to prevent events such as fire and flood. There are a number of environmental controls and alarms which can help with the early detection of many disasters, as well as identifying the escape of harmful gases such as carbon monoxide to help protect your employees.

There are many ways to keep your business warehouse safe, and whilst some of them might seem like a lot of investment is required, but this is often a small price to pay in comparison to the losses that can be incurred.

Infographic Provided By Corcentric