Key Takeaways:

 Regular warehouse audits are important for ensuring optimal operations as well
as safety.
 The warehouse audit checklist includes safety protocol, inventory, receiving,
shipping, and storage.
 Following up on the findings and recommendations from the audit is essential for
implementing improvements and achieving better results.

A warehouse is a center of constant activity, bustling with inventory, shipments,

warehouse managers, and staff moving all around. As there is so much going on,

inefficiencies or hazards may go unnoticed at times, leading to potential losses and

even accidents. As per Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),

there were around 5,333 workplace fatalities in 2019 in the US. Hence, warehouse

audits play an important role in the retail industry. 

But first, you should get ready with the checklist while conducting a warehouse

audit. How? This blog will help you understand various warehouse audits with the

checklist and templates. It will help you understand how you can conduct the audits

and improve your overall warehouse operations by making the necessary

implementations. So, let’s dive deep into this topic.

Table of Content
 What are Warehouse Audits?
 Warehouse Audit Checklist: 7 Main Things That can’t be Missed
 Examples of Audit Checklist Templates
 Upper – A Compatible Software for Managing Your Warehouse Operations
 FAQs
 Conclusion

What are Warehouse Audits?

A warehouse audit is a detailed inspection of the stockroom’s physical and

systematic operations. The audit is launched to identify issues with compliance,

potential risks, and inefficiencies. Auditing the facility is essential as it helps ensure

smooth operation and proper organization of the warehouse.

Warehouse Audit Checklist: 7 Main

Things That can’t be Missed
As there are so many methods you can use to audit your warehouse, you must not

miss out on the main checklist. The below steps and key points will help you perform

the audit correctly:

1. Gather audit requirements 
The primary focus of auditing a warehouse may differ based on your company’s

goals and needs. A business that sells big, bulky items may prioritize optimizing their

warehouse design and material handling. Whereas, a company selling perishable

goods will focus on auditing temperature and storage conditions in their warehouse.
2. Monitor warehouse operations
You must keep an eye on the warehouse employees, order fulfillment, inventory

procedures, quality control, and other warehouse equipment like forklifts. This will

help you ensure safety compliance standards and highest efficiency of your systems.

You must also ensure that you stay alert about OSHA (Occupational Safety and

Health Administration) regulations. Safety warehouse processes should always be

your priority.
3. Maintain inventory count
Accurate inventory count is important to ensure a smooth running of the inventory

system. You can audit warehouse inventory by matching the available quantities with

the mentioned in your inventory management software. You can track any

discrepancies in your inventory with this inventory tracking analysis. These inventory

records will help you investigate any related issues further.

4. Interact with staff members 
Your warehouse employees are the key to any information regarding inefficiencies,

as they are running daily operations in your warehouse. So, you should utilize your

time in interacting with them as much as possible. You may find many answers

about any policies not being followed and make continuous improvement with the

available data. 
5. Analyze inventory data
A warehouse management system will help you manage your routine operations and

conduct inventory data checks. Make sure that you use these properly to analyze

wastage, fraud, regular transactions, and customer feedback. Checking these details

is necessary for your audit and helps you remain clear about any issues arising in

your warehouse.
6. Work on audit results
After completing your audits, you can use the data to identify the operations and

policies that need changes within your warehouse space. Moreover, warehouse

managers can use the data to make relevant improvement suggestions that can

boost productivity and efficiency. Working with the analysts will help you evaluate

results and present the data to key stakeholders.

7. Fix the recurring problems
After you have carried out the above checks and collected all the data, you must

formulate a plan to implement the changes. Discuss with your team and make the

changes. The first part of the transition is noting down the concerning areas and

problems that need fixing. Next, you can start resolving these issues by taking the

required permissions from your stakeholders.

Now, as you know warehouse audits are required on a weekly basis, you should

perform it after a few weeks or months. To reduce your workload, we have a

checklist template ready in the next section.  

Examples of Audit Checklist Templates

We have shared warehouse audit example templates you can use in your audit to
make it easier for you. To be clear, you can keep multiple choice answers as below:

Q. Are inventory security measures properly followed?

 Yes
 No
 ______

You can use the below templates in your warehouse audits. Feel free to change

them or add new ones as per your requirement.

Questions regarding inventory audit: 

 Is the inventory management system working precisely?
 How is the inventory organized and labeled?
 Are proper procedures followed for inventory count?
 Are there any expired or damaged items in the inventory?

Additional warehouse related questions: 

 Is the warehouse space effectively utilized?
 Are the housekeeping standards properly met?
 Is the staff conducting regular equipment inspections?
 Is there enough supply of personal protective equipment (PPE)?
 Are all the training materials and manuals up-to-date?
 How is equipment handling and storage evaluated?

Safety compliance protocols: 

 How is the compliance with OSHA regulations analyzed?
 Is the warehouse adhering all the local, state, and federal laws?
 How is the compliance evaluated for industry-specific standards?
 Is the team following environmental regulations?
 What is the evaluation process for safety protocols and signage?

Other operational questions: 

 Are employee skills and training sessions reviewed regularly?
 Are all the staff members following the company policies and guidelines?
 Are the employees following the appropriate communication standards?
 How are the receiving and shipping processes evaluated?
 Is the order tracking and fulfillment process accurate?
 Is the warehouse management system (WMS) properly functioning?

Upper – A Compatible Software for

Managing Your Warehouse Operations
To take your warehouse management a notch higher, you must automate your route

planning tasks. Thankfully, we have Upper Route Planner, a powerful software that

helps schedule driver routes quickly. If you are handling last mile delivery, Upper is
 right here to create the fastest delivery routes so that your drivers can reach their

destinations on time. 

As a warehouse manager, it is also important to keep record of all the operations for

future reference or make improvements. With the help of “Analytics and Reports,”

you can analyze your delivery drivers’ performance to ensure your delivery

operations are running smoothly. You will also be able to download a PDF version of

the report to track driver KPIs and train them if required.

Moreover, with Upper’s advanced route scheduling, you not only improve outbound

logistics processes, but also get best routes ready for your drivers so that they won’t

waste time on the road. Even you can also prioritize deliveries, manage service time

windows, and set driving preferences.

Take the 7-day free trial and start using all the advanced features of Upper today!

Optimize Routes for Your Warehouse Deliveries on Upper

Get the fastest routes for your drivers to transport your warehouse orders. Let Upper

pull out your stress of manual planning routes for your last-mile delivery services.
Start a Free Trial

FAQs
What is the ideal time to conduct warehouse audits?

It depends on many factors such as inventory volume, size of warehouse, and the

frequency of transporting goods. Usually, you should run a warehouse audit on a

quarterly basis. This will allow enough time to collect the data required to analyze

performance and make improvements.

What are the benefits of conducting a warehouse audit?

Here are some points that define warehouse audit benefits.

 Ensure that your warehouse is more sustainable
 Have the relevant data on various operations
 Minimize costs and streamline processes
 Avoid or resolve issues with equipment or other operations
Who should conduct a warehouse audit?
Anyone from the internal staff including warehouse managers, safety officers, or

quality control managers can conduct a warehouse audit. Alternatively, you can also

hire a third-party professional with the right expertise to conduct the audit.
What are safety hazards in a warehouse audit?

Some commonly found safety hazards that are observed during a warehouse audit

are:
 Improperly stacked items
 Unsecured loads
 Obstructed aisles
 Inadequate lighting
 Missing safety equipment
How long does it take to complete a warehouse audit?

The time duration of finishing a warehouse audit varies as per the warehouse size,

the complexity of inventory, and how it is done. Normally, a detailed audit takes a

couple of days to be completed.

Conclusion
We understood that doing regular warehouse audits helps us identify the areas of

improvement and ensure smooth running of operations. By focusing on your

requirements and following the above guidelines, you will be able to perform

warehouse audits easily. Beside audits, you must take care of your daily warehouse

operation. In this case, there is no better way to do so than using the advanced

software. 

Relieve your burden and get a competitive edge with the help of a smart route

planner like Upper. The route planner is capable of blowing away your routing

hassles with its array of routing features. It lets you analyze the delivery performance

via summary reports as well. The reports can then be utilized to analyze your crew

performance for transporting goods from warehouse to end users. Impressive! Isn’t

it? Try our 7-day free trial to get firsthand experience.