Warehouse security checklist

A working checklist for securing a warehouse, organised by physical, electronic and operational controls. Work it top to bottom, and for every item record the evidence that it is actually in place. If an item has no evidence, treat it as an open risk rather than an assumption — the difference between the two is where most warehouse losses hide.

How to use this checklist

Each row has three parts: the check itself, what a passing answer looks like, and the evidence to keep. The evidence column is the point of the exercise. “Yes, we have CCTV” is a claim; a retention setting, a camera coverage plan and a named person who reviews footage is evidence.

Two rules make the checklist work:

• An unverifiable item is an open item. If nobody can produce the evidence by an agreed date, mark it open and give it an owner.
• Re-test the operational items more often than the physical ones. A fence does not change week to week. A closing procedure does, the moment a shift changes or a new supervisor takes over.

Physical security

Check	What good looks like	Evidence to record
Receiving and dispatching areas are physically separated	Separate doors or a barrier between inbound and outbound, so goods cannot cross over unnoticed	Site plan showing the two flows and where they meet
Entrance and exit doors use access control	Every door staff use is electronic and logged; no propped fire doors	Door schedule with the credential type and who holds rights
Vehicle loading uses channels separate from general traffic	Delivery vehicles do not route through staff parking or pedestrian areas	Traffic management plan; photographs of the layout
Security lighting is installed inside and outside	Loading bays, pedestrian routes, parking and the perimeter line are lit to the standard used for the site’s risk	Lighting plan plus a night walk-through record
Guards are posted at entry and exit checkpoints where high-value stock is held	Posts are defined by task, not just by presence, with a written post order	Post orders and the attendance record
Fire equipment is installed at appropriate locations	Extinguishers, alarms and escape routes match the building’s occupancy and stored materials	Fire equipment register with inspection dates

Electronic security

Check	What good looks like	Evidence to record
CCTV covers internal and external activity	Coverage matched to the risk points — gates, docks, high-value cages — not just wide-angle views of the aisles	Camera schedule with coverage notes and retention period
The security system is integrated with inventory	Stock movement and access events can be read together when something goes missing	A description of what the integration reports, and a sample report
Access control is integrated with surveillance and alarms	A door alarm or failed credential can pull up the matching camera view	Configuration note; a tested example event
Alarms reach someone who can respond	Verified alarm events trigger a named responder, not just a recording	Escalation matrix with contact details and response times

Operational security

Check	What good looks like	Evidence to record
A written policy governs trash and scrap removal	Waste, scrap and recycling leave in containers that are locked and kept away from the building	The policy, plus the container location on the site plan
The warehouse is zoned for security management	High-value, restricted and general areas are defined, and access follows the zoning	Zoning map and the credentials issued per zone
The outgoing shipping schedule is controlled	Outbound loads are released against a document, by a person who is accountable for the release	Release log with the name and time of each release
Vehicles entering and leaving are inspected	A defined check on inbound and outbound vehicles, applied consistently rather than by mood	Inspection log, even if only exception-based
The security system is reviewed and maintained on a schedule	Tested alarms, service records, and a walk test of camera views	Maintenance schedule with the last completion date
A security assessment compares the site against local crime records	The threat picture is refreshed, not set once at commissioning	The most recent assessment and its date
Staff are vetted before hire	Identity, previous employment and references checked, and re-checked where the role’s risk changes	Vetting file per person, with the checks and the dates
Visitors do not roam unsupervised	Sign-in, escort to the destination, and a visitor log that reconciles with who is on site	Visitor log and the sign-out record
Procedures are followed, not just written	Supervisors can show a recent exception they caught and corrected	Supervisor’s exception log or shift reports

Emergency response

Check	What good looks like	Evidence to record
An emergency response plan is documented	Roles, escalation and evacuation are written for the events this site can actually face	The plan, with a review date
Employees are trained to act on the plan	People know their role under pressure because they have practised it	Drill records with dates and what was learned

Turning the checklist into a plan

The checklist tells you where you stand; it does not by itself reduce risk. Close the loop:

1. Score it. Count the open items by severity, not by section.
2. Assign owners and dates. An item without an owner is a wish.
3. Fix the cheapest gaps first where the risk is high — a locked scrap container costs little and removes a real route for stock to leave.
4. Re-run it on a rhythm, and keep the previous version. Comparing two passes is how you find the control that quietly stopped being followed.

For the reasoning behind the controls, see the warehouse security guide. For the routines that keep them enforced rather than decaying, see the Security Operations Management System.

Frequently asked questions

How often should this checklist be run?

Re-run the physical and electronic sections quarterly, and the operational sections monthly at first — the operational items are the ones that lapse. After an incident, or a change of supervisor or shift pattern, run the whole thing again regardless of the calendar.

What counts as evidence?

Anything a third party could check without taking your word for it: a log, a register with dates, a service record, a system configuration export, a photograph of the layout, or a named person who can demonstrate the control. A verbal “that’s done” is not evidence, and treating it as evidence is how a warehouse ends up with cameras nobody monitors.

We already have guards and cameras. Why score the operating items?

Because the expensive losses rarely come from a missing control. They come from a control that exists but is not followed — the propped fire door, the release signed without checking the load, the visitor who was never escorted out. Those are operating failures, and they are invisible on a physical inspection.

What should we fix first if we score badly everywhere?

Start with the items that create a route for stock to leave the site: uncontrolled outbound releases, waste and scrap removal, unzoned access, and unvetted staff handling high-value goods. Then close the detection gaps — alarm response and camera coverage where it matters.

Does this checklist cover legal compliance?

No. It covers the security controls at a single site. Licensing to deploy guards under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005, wage and statutory compliance (minimum wages, PF, ESI), and supervision obligations are separate matters — see the due-diligence guide and the compliance and licences page.