FACTS

Common Warehouse Injuries:

1. Forklift accidents. The most common accidents involve overturned forklifts, which can crush and seriously injure or kill the employee.
2. Hit by an object. Objects stacked high on pallets put workers at risk of being hit by an object. Pallet collapses and falling objects often result in concussions, back injuries, shoulder injuries, and worse.
3. Caught between objects. Warehouse work puts hands, fingers, feet, and even whole bodies at risk of being caught between pieces of equipment, between heavy objects, or even between a truck and the loading dock.
4. Slips, trips, and falls. The four-foot drop between the loading dock and the ground below presents a serious hazard to worker safety.  Other potential hazards include spilled powders, oils, or water. Uneven walking surfaces, inadequate lighting, and exposed cords also put worker safety at risk.
5. Hazardous materials. When shipments containing hazardous materials become damaged and spill, it can result in chemical burns, fire, convulsions, and even long-term effects such as cancer or organ damage.
6. Overexertion injuries. Tasks involving lifting, pulling, carrying, and lowering heavy objects can result in overexertion injuries including back and neck injuries, muscle strain, and joint injuries.
7. Repetitive stress injuries. A job that requires a significant amount of repetitive motion over a long period of time puts the employee at risk of repetitive stress injuries. These may include carpal tunnel, muscle strain, and joint injuries.

STATS

• Overexertion is a massive problem for warehouse workers, resulting in injuries from employees putting their bodies through too much stress. The BLS recorded over 8,000 injuries due to overexertion.
• Loading docks are one of the most dangerous places for warehouse employees. Not only do 25% of all warehouse accidents happen on loading docks, but for every injury, there are around 600 near misses.
• Forklifts are one of the biggest hazards in a warehouse.
  • 90% of forklifts are involved in some type of accident over the course of their lifetime.
  • 11% of forklifts in the U.S. are involved in an accident each year.
  • 80% of forklift accidents involve a pedestrian.
• As many as 20,000 workers are injured in forklift accidents alone each year and 25 percent of those accidents happen when a forklift overturns.
• OSHA estimates that the number of forklift-related accidents alone total nearly 100,000 per year.
• Over 145,000 laborers across the U.S. work in warehouses, as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports. About one in 20 of these workers will suffer injuries in a given year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.