In brief
In e-commerce and parcel warehouses, risks depend more on items than pallets, and more on pace than machines. In order picking, long walking distances, reaching to upper rack locations and vehicles meeting pedestrians in aisles stand out; on sortation conveyors, reaching in by hand to a jammed parcel; and in peak periods, temporary workers, overtime and stacks spilling into aisles. These risks will not fall unless layout, pace targets and induction training are planned together.
Why is e-commerce warehouse safety different from a traditional warehouse?
In a traditional distribution warehouse, work revolves around pallets coming in and going out; the risks come largely from forklifts and racking. In an e-commerce warehouse, by contrast, thousands of small orders are prepared on the same day. Employees walk between racks for hours, bend, reach, seal boxes and feed conveyors. E-commerce warehouse safety is therefore more about pace, layout and headcount than about machines.
Three features determine the risk: target times per order, a workload that multiplies several times over during campaign periods, and the staff hired for short periods to cope with that load. Art. 5 of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety requires the employer, when choosing the work organisation, to prevent the negative effects of monotonous work and the pace of production on health and safety. In an e-commerce warehouse, this principle is one that must not stay on paper.
Order picking risks
Order picking risks often look small individually, but they are repeated hundreds of times over a shift.
| Risk | Where is it seen? | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Long walks and standing work | Rack aisles, picking routes | Placing fast-moving products near dispatch, a break schedule, suitable footwear |
| Bending and reaching | Lower and upper rack locations | Moving frequently picked and heavy products to between waist and shoulder height |
| Picking from upper locations | High racks | Fixed step platforms or picking ladders with guardrails; ban on climbing racks |
| Vehicles meeting pedestrians | Narrow aisles, junctions, in front of docks | Separate walkways, rule not to enter an aisle when a vehicle is in it, mirrors and warning lights |
| Distraction | Walking while looking at the handheld terminal | Rule to look at the screen when stopped, not while walking; stop lines at junctions |
| Slips and trips | Waste stretch film, cardboard and void fill | Waste collection points, tidy-up rounds during the shift |
| Cuts | Box-opening knives | Safety knives with retractable blades, cut-resistant gloves |
| Heavy and bulky boxes | White goods, furniture parts, drinks | Two-person carrying, lifting aids, weight labels |
For planning forklift and pedestrian traffic, see our article on the warehouse forklift and pedestrian traffic plan, and for rack capacity and damage checks, industrial racking safety.
Warehouse walking distance and pace
Warehouse walking distance is a main determinant of fatigue as much as of picking efficiency. You can extract the distance a picker covers in a shift from your warehouse management system's records. Every layout decision that shortens this distance both increases efficiency and reduces the load on the legs, back and feet:
- Slotting: Put best-selling products close to the dispatch area and in locations between waist and shoulder height. Put heavy products at waist level, not in the lower locations.
- Picking routes: Shorten picking routes by batching orders; prevent the same aisle from being entered several times.
- Pace targets: When setting target times per order, take into account break times, walking distance and heavy products. A target that rewards an unsafe speed encourages shortcuts.
- Job rotation: Rotate between picking, packing and conveyor feeding tasks; break up the repetition of the same movement for hours.
- Standing work: Provide height-adjustable benches, anti-fatigue floor mats and the chance to sit briefly at packing tables.
For safe lifting technique in manual handling, see our article on manual handling and lifting technique; for how weight limits are calculated, how many kilos can be lifted: NIOSH; and for the effects of prolonged standing, risks of standing work.
Parcel sortation conveyors: do not reach for a jammed parcel
The parcel sortation conveyor is the heart of the e-commerce warehouse: parcels are carried on conveyors, pass through scanners and are diverted to the correct exit. In these systems, most accidents happen not during normal operation but at the moment of a jam. A parcel gets stuck at a transfer point, the conveyor stops or does not, and the employee reaches in.
- Entrapment points: Drum in-running nips, gaps between rollers, and transfer and diverter points are closed off with guards.
- Emergency stop: There is a pull-cord emergency stop reachable from every point along the conveyor; when reset, the conveyor does not restart on its own.
- Jam clearance instruction: To remove a jammed parcel, the conveyor is stopped and, if necessary, energy is isolated; only trained people do this work.
- Elevated conveyors: Under conveyors passing overhead there is netting or guarding against falling parcels; head-strike risk is marked at conveyor crossings.
- Loading doors: When loading into vehicles with telescopic conveyors, attention is paid to the entrapment points between the conveyor end and the vehicle interior.
For entrapment points on conveyors, pull-cord emergency stops and cleaning rules, see our article on conveyor safety. As conveyors, sortation systems also undergo periodic inspection at least once a year under Annex III of the Regulation on Work Equipment.
Peak season warehouse planning
Peak season warehouse pace, such as before campaigns and public holidays, brings together risks that are manageable on a normal day. Plan the peak period at least a few weeks in advance:
- Capacity: Determine the need for extra staff, extra shifts and extra equipment based on expected order volume; do not treat overtime as the first solution.
- Temporary storage: Designate separate, marked areas for excess stock; set a rule in advance that nothing is stacked in aisles, in front of fire hose cabinets or on escape routes.
- Emergency teams: When headcount rises, review the number of emergency team members and first aiders against the new number; show newcomers the assembly point and escape routes on site.
- Vehicle traffic: Set up an appointment system and pedestrian separation for the density of trucks and courier vehicles at the dock. For dock risks, see our article on loading dock safety.
- Fatigue: Longer shifts and night work increase fatigue; set up the shift pattern according to the principles in our article on shift systems and fatigue management.
- Environmental conditions: Plan measures for warehouse temperatures during summer campaigns and for the cold coming through open dock doors in winter.
Using temporary workers: the first hours are the riskiest
An employee starting work during a peak period does not know the warehouse, the vehicle traffic or where the conveyors' stop points are. The legislation sets clear rules for these people:
- Induction training: Under the 2026 OHS training regulation, everyone, including apprentices and interns, receives at least 2 hours of face-to-face, hands-on induction training before starting work. Basic training is completed within 3 months of starting work at the latest. For how to set up the programme, see our article on the induction training programme.
- Temporary employment relationships: Under Art. 17 of Law No. 6331, the employer with whom a temporary employment relationship is established ensures that the employee receives the necessary training on occupational health and safety risks.
- People coming from other workplaces: In hazardous and very hazardous workplaces, employees coming from other workplaces to work cannot start work until they document that they have received training on the risks of the work they will do.
- Vehicle use: Forklifts and stackers are used only by certified and authorised people; a temporary worker is not given a vehicle even for "a short distance".
In practice, pairing newcomers with an experienced employee in the first days, using visual instructions for employees with language differences and collecting brief feedback at the end of the first shift all work well.
E-commerce warehouse checklist
| Area | Check |
|---|---|
| Aisles | Walkways marked; mirrors and stop lines at junctions |
| Racks | Fixed platforms or ladders with guardrails for upper locations; nobody climbing racks |
| Conveyors | Guards in place; pull-cord emergency stop reachable from every point |
| Jam clearance | Instruction posted; only trained people intervene |
| Packing | Safety knives, adjustable benches, regular waste collection |
| Escape routes | Open; space in front of fire hose cabinets clear |
| New employees | Induction training record exists; pairing in place |
| Shifts | Overtime and consecutive working days monitored |
For other risks specific to the logistics and warehousing sector, see our sector page. In warehouses and transfer centres in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, we enter layout, pace targets and the peak season plan into the risk assessment and follow up implementation on site during OHS specialist visits. To see how your obligations change as your headcount grows, use the OHS obligation calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a temporary employee hired for a peak period start work immediately?
First, at least 2 hours of face-to-face, hands-on induction training must be given. For work in the hazardous or very hazardous class, a fitness-for-work report is also obtained before starting. Basic training is completed within 3 months of starting work at the latest.
How should a parcel jammed on a sortation conveyor be removed?
Nobody touches the parcel until the conveyor is stopped. Jam clearance is tied to an instruction; if necessary, energy is isolated, and only trained people do the work. Before the conveyor is restarted, it is checked that nobody remains in the danger zone.
Is setting pace targets in order picking prohibited?
It is not prohibited; however, Law No. 6331 requires the negative health effects of production pace to be prevented in work organisation. Targets should be set taking into account break times, walking distance and heavy products, and entered into the risk assessment.
How can we reduce warehouse walking distance?
By placing best-selling products near dispatch and in locations between waist and shoulder height, by batching orders to shorten picking routes, and by rotating between tasks.
A risk assessment that identifies and scores hazards on site, links each measure to an owner and a date, and has a clear renewal schedule.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.