A Closer Look at Warehouse Safety Facts and Industry Accidents
March 8, 2017
Updated March, 2019
Considering there are more than 7,000 warehouses in the U.S. and over 145,000 people who work in warehouses, it’s amazing there aren’t more warehouse accidents each year.
Here are some interesting warehouse safety facts regarding accidents and safety within the warehouse environment.
The top 10 areas in which OSHA issues citations are:
- Forklifts
- Hazard communication
- Electrical/wiring methods
- Electrical/system design
- Guarding floor and wall openings and holes
- Exits
- Mechanical power transmission
- Respiratory protection
- Lockout/tagout
- Portable fire extinguishers
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, tripping, falling and slipping make up most of what it calls “general industry accidents.” Slip and fall accidents make up 15 percent of all accidental deaths, 25 percent of all injury claims and, are you ready…95 million lost work days each year.
Where do most accidents occur in a warehouse? The latest warehouse safety facts show the top five are:
- Docks
- Forklifts
- Conveyors
- Materials storage
- Manual lifting and handling
The top three warehouse injuries are:
- Slip and fall
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, and reaching
- Material handling / forklift accidents
- 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.
- 100 people are killed in those forklift accidents each year.
When it comes to pallet jack failure, the seven top causes are:
- Damage from the forklift
- Racks overloaded
- Racks with altered configurations
- A change in operation (such as rearrangement)
- Not using the equipment correctly
- Buying a smaller rack capacity in order to save money
- Faulty equipment
The top 10 areas in which OSHA issues citations are:
- Forklifts
- Hazard communication
- Electrical/wiring methods
- Electrical/system design
- Guarding floor and wall openings and holes
- Exits
- Mechanical power transmission
- Respiratory protection
- Lockout/tagout
- Portable fire extinguishers
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. In addition to these warehouse safety facts, 100 people are killed in those forklift accidents each year.
Saponaro, Inc. can provide experts in OSHA and warehouse safety in our areas of expertise including, but not limited to:
Packaging Product Liability
Warning & Markings
Personal Injury with Packaging and Aerosols
Loading and Unloading Injuries or Fatalities on Truck Trailers
Damage Claims
Fire / Flammability
Hazardous Material Shipment & Use
