RISK MANAGEMENT IN WAREHOUSES, AN ESSENTIAL REFLECTION

What are the necessary concerns for security in our warehouses?

The case applied to the premises of XP LOG Warehouse security

 In order to apply our expertise and our duty to advise throughout the Supply Chain, from receipt of goods in containers to distribution, including storage and order preparation, we have paid particular attention to the securing buildings.

 Indeed, beyond the safety of personnel, the risks related to fires, pest invasions, but also temperature control are very present. This is why our warehouses are equipped with a multitude of devices ensuring perfect maintenance of the premises and thus the satisfaction of our customers.

The fire risk

 Fires are a threat to logistics warehouses due to the accumulation of flammable materials such as cartons, wooden or plastic pallets.

However, we have put in place the necessary means to reduce or even counter these risks. In accordance with the law, our premises are all equipped with fire extinguishers and armed fire hoses (RIA) to ensure rapid and effective intervention. This intervention can be carried out by some of our employees who have received 7 hours of training and certification as first intervention team members (PPE) before the event. A fixed automatic water extinguishing device called “sprinkling” is also present on site. It is triggered when the temperature rises rapidly and unexplainably. Added to this are fire doors to isolate and condemn the cells, as well as manual triggers. Linear fire detection (provided by lasers) and head detection provide additional safety that benefits the customer.

Linear fire detection: the linear smoke trigger operates on a reflective principle. Indeed, if a foreign body crosses the light beam, the fire alarm is triggered. This solution is an optimal choice for buildings with high ceilings, facilitating the presence of high shelving such as at XP LOG.

Fire detection by head: also called a smoke detector, this is a device that captures smoke particles in the ambient air and sends a lively and powerful sound message to alert the individuals present on the spot.

The risk of pests

 The presence of pests in warehouses can compromise product quality through contamination or damage, particularly in the food industry. As a result, we must respond to legal procedures by applying EC Regulation 852/2004 imposing comprehensive pest control measures as well as the implementation of appropriate procedures.

 First of all to overcome the constraints related to the maritime environment: seagulls, sparrows, and other birds, XP LOG has chosen to keep them away from warehouses. Indeed, some of them belong to protected species, which is why precautions are necessary. For this we therefore use a bird scarer internally and ultrasound externally.

Internal system: one-off actions consisting of using a bird scarer to dislodge birds that could have entered the buildings. These actions are carried out using lasers to push the birds into nets, to then release them at the correct distance from the logistics center.

External device: 8 ultrasound emitters have been present on our buildings since October 4, 2019, they emit between 17.5 kilo Hertz and 25 kilo Hertz. These sounds inaudible to the human ear repel and frighten a large number of oviparous each year. We see a clear decrease in the number of entries into the building of these undesirables.

As far as rodents are concerned, we use two service providers: SGS and Rentokil. The latter ensure monitoring and provide us with baiting systems in the form of rat traps, mouse traps, or even glue traps aimed at eradicating these pests.

Finally, the fight against insects is done by pheromone traps, a distinction is made to attract butterflies in moth traps.

 Pheromone traps are boxes containing female pheromones coated with glue to which the male insects stick. By suppressing the male insects in this way, reproduction cannot take place and limits the progeny and consequently the proliferation.

Electric flying insect killers are also part of our tools for combating these pests. The effectiveness of this product is based on a light attraction device exerted by UV lamps, leading the insects towards an electrified destruction mechanism. The device allows a concrete assessment of the level of infestation if there is infestation.

The risk related to the temperature of the warehouses

 This risk is found in the cells where packaging requires special attention to temperature, such as for example the food industry, textiles, pharmaceutical products or products from the chemical industry. We cannot guarantee an identical temperature throughout the year, since our warehouses are not at a so-called "controlled" temperature. However, we take a daily temperature reading to monitor their differences as the seasons go by. As part of this precaution, our teams take a daily temperature reading using thermometers on site, to monitor, analyze and offer our customers key figures to get an idea of ​​the extent of the data.

 In order to analyze in more depth the temperature differences that the warehouses could present, we carried out a study through the service provider Intertek, to set up a temperature reading. This took place over a 48-hour time slot in 6,000 m2 of warehouses, in cells 3-5 located in building 4B. 60 probes have been strategically placed within the enclosure, and deliver data every two minutes. This study carried out between July 25, 2014 and February 2, 2015 highlighted the extremes of the climatic conditions of the warehouses which amount respectively to 7.44°C in winter and 31.23°C in summer (temperature recorded on day hottest of the year).

The rigor and expertise demonstrated by XP LOG in securing its supply chain is an asset in the eyes of our customers. We go beyond the expectations of the regulations relating to stored and transported goods GDP (Good Distribution Practice), and take care to honor all the additional conditions that certain flows may require. The prevention of these risks being already considered and implemented, if pests or parasites were to appear, we will be able to engage the necessary means to undertake targeted and effective actions.