If you work in a warehouse, you will want to be extremely careful at work and be ready to seek compensation if you are injured. More than 145,000 people work in over 7,000 warehouses throughout the United States. The fatal injury rate in warehouses is higher than the national average for all industries. There are a variety of different hazards at warehouses that put workers at risk.
These include inadequate fire safety provisions, failure to use proper personal protective equipment, improper stacking of products, the unsafe use of forklifts, and the failure to follow lockout and tagout procedures correctly. Also, workers can be injured if they fail to wear or use personal protective equipment and many file suits for repetitive motion injuries after spending years in a warehouse.
The OSHA says that warehouses are most often cited for dangers involving forklifts, electrical wiring methods, electrical system designs, respiratory protection failures, lockout/tagout procedure dangers, portable fire extinguisher failures, exit dangers, and failing to guard floor or wall openings and holes. Also, mechanical power transmission can cause issues that can result in OSHA citations. In some situations, warehouses are cited for poor hazard communication methods.
OSHA statistics show that about 100 employees are killed and about 95,000 are injured every year while operating forklifts in a variety of different industries. Most of the time, these accidents happen when a forklift overturns. Many of these injuries can be avoided by proper training. Also, improperly stored containers and materials can fall on workers, severely injuring them.
Warehouse workers are also at risk to back injuries from manual lifting and handling. These injuries can often be attributed to overexertion and can be avoided if supervisors encourage frequent breaks or a variety of different jobs. If you want more information about warehouse injuries then contact a New York workers’ compensation attorney at our firm today to schedule a
free consultation!