The 6 Most Common Injuries for Warehouse Workers

With the holiday season in full swing, it's important to be aware of the warehouse workers, who are an integral part of our society during this time.

The Central Valley is home to many popular warehouses including Cargill, Group Warehouses, and of course Amazon. These businesses have a duty to ensure the safety of their employees. Injury risks and fatalities are all too common in warehouses, which can lead to a large amount of workers' comp claims being filed.

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, transportation and warehousing injuries/illnesses increased from 206,900 cases in 2020 to 253,100 cases in 2021. If you or someone you know is a warehouse worker, it is important to be aware of the risks faced in that type of job.

The 6 most common injuries for warehouse workers

Here are the most common injuries risk factors faced while on the job in warehouses

1. Overexertion Injuries

Lifting, pulling, carrying, and lowering heavy objects can cause overexertion injuries such as back and neck damage, muscle strain, and joint pain.

2. Forklift Accidents

Forklifts are a necessary but dangerous part of the warehouse floor. Most accidents occur when the lift overturns, which has the potential to crush and seriously injure or kill anyone nearby.

3. Repetitive Stress Injuries

A job with a lot of the same motion over an extended period of time puts the employee at risk for repetitive stress injuries. These might include carpal tunnel, muscle strain, and joint pain.

4. Slips, Trips, and Falls

Uneven walking surfaces, poor lighting, and exposed cords can put worker safety at risk. Likewise, the four-foot drop between the loading dock and ground level presents a serious danger to workers. Other potential dangers that can cause workers to slip, trip, or fall include spilled powders, oils, or water. 

5. Hazardous Materials

If a package with hazardous chemicals is harmed and leaks, it could cause anything from fire and burns to long-term effects like cancer or other terrible diseases.

6. Hit by an Object

Not only are forklifts a hazard, but so too are objects that workers have to stack high up on pallets. When these collapse or fall down, it often results in concussions, back injuries, shoulder injuries, and worse.

Each of these can lead to serious injuries, but there are steps you can take to limit the risk of on-the-job injuries in a warehouse environment.

The 4 best ways to prevent injuries related to warehouse workers

1. Always wear the appropriate safety gear while working.

This includes wearing a hard hat, gloves, boots, and safety goggles as well as any ear protection for louder jobs that might go on for a long period of time. Wearing these items can help prevent injury and limit serious injuries to minor ones if they do happen.

2. Always be aware of your surroundings while working.

This includes making sure that you are aware of any potential hazards, such as falling boxes or someone driving a forklift. Knowing what is going on around you at all times can help keep others from making potentially fatal mistakes as well.

3. Make sure that you know how to properly use the tools that you are working with.

If you are unfamiliar with what you are doing, you can not only seriously hurt yourself but those around you as well.

4. Take breaks often to avoid getting tired and making mistakes.

If you are tired or need a break, it is important to take one, especially when working in hot conditions during the summer where it can reach 90 degrees or higher for long periods of the day; OSHA recommends a warehouse be  68-78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Luckily, California took measures recently to put limits in place on quotas for warehouse workers to hopefully improve their safety. Assembly Bill 701 took effect at the start of 2022 and  it states, "employees cannot be required to meet a quota that prevents compliance with meal or rest periods, use of bathroom facilities (including reasonable travel time to and from bathrooms), or compliance with occupational health and safety standards."

Warehouse worker injuries are unfortunately all too common. In order to prevent these injuries, it is important for these workers to be aware of the dangers they face on the job and take precautions to protect themselves. We hope that by sharing these safety tips, we can help keep workers safe while they work, especially during the brutal holiday season.

If you have been hurt while on the job as a warehouse worker, contact the workers' compensation specialists at Cole, Fisher, Cole, O’Keefe + Mahoney.

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Cole, Fisher, Cole, O’Keefe + Mahoney is Central California’s leading workers’ compensation and social security disability law firm. With over 30 years of successful experience, we are committed to securing maximum benefits for our clients in the Fresno, California area. Schedule a free consultation today.