One of the jobs that have high rates of work-related injuries in Pennsylvania is the warehouse worker. There are hundreds of work injuries in warehouses throughout the state every year. Warehouses can be dangerous because of the vast number of moving parts throughout the work environment, with workers everywhere, conveyor belts moving product, and forklifts zipping all over the place. But there are things employers can do to protect their workers more. The only way to significantly reduce warehouse injuries is to focus on safety.
Common Warehouse Injuries
There are several types of injuries that are often seen in those who work in warehouses. Here are the most common ones:
- Slip or trip and fall injuries
- Head trauma and fractured skulls from items falling from high shelves
- Crush injuries from being run over by forklifts
- Back and neck injuries from heavy lifting or being bent over for long periods
- Herniated disks and spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones and compound fractures
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI), concussions, closed head injuries
- Lung damage and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from breathing contaminated air
- Shoulder trauma such as rotator cuff tears
- Knee injuries to the ligaments and tendons
Top Safety Tips for Warehouse Employees
Here are the top safety tips that warehouse employers should focus on to keep their employees safe and healthy:
- Establish and implement general safety protocols that every employee must be trained on and must follow at all times.
- Yearly safety training programs that all employees must attend.
- Robust training and certification programs for all lifting machinery such as forklifts.
- Provide a general understanding for every employee about the material and substances they will be handling through reading the safety data sheet on the products being stored and moved.
- Use proper lockout-tagout procedures.
- If necessary, use proper personal protective equipment (PPE) such as breathing devices if in enclosed areas where there are chemicals.
- Report unsafe conditions and other employees engaging in unsafe acts.
- Know where all the emergency stops (E-stops) are located for all the machinery in the warehouse and be trained on how to use them.
- Maintain a clean warehouse where debris and spills will not cause someone to slip and fall.
- Offer first-aid training for all employees and know where the first-aid kit is located.
- Establish safety committees to review all procedures and the facts surrounding accidents to suggest changes to prevent further incidents.
- Maintain forklift traffic lanes and walkway lanes.
- Use warning lights and back-up alarms on all forklifts and material-moving machines.
- Establish a program to periodically check machines and tools to perform maintenance and fix any issues that might cause injuries.
Delaware County Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at the Law Office of Deborah M. Truscello Help Injured Warehouse Workers
If you have been injured while performing the duties of your job in a warehouse, the Delaware County Workers’ Compensation lawyers at the Law Office of Deborah M. Truscello are ready to help. With over two decades of experience, we understand what it takes to get you the medical benefits and wage loss benefits for which you are entitled if you were hurt in a warehouse injury. Learn more at a free consultation by filling out an online registration form or calling (610) 892-4940. Our office is in Media, Pennsylvania. We represent clients in Media, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Lancaster, Montgomery County, Norristown, Philadelphia, Reading, West Chester, and throughout Pennsylvania.
