04 Sep Why Are Temporary Workers at a High Risk for Injuries in Warehouses?

Statistics have revealed that temporary workers in warehouses are more likely to get hurt on the job than permanent employees. According to OSHA, some host employers may not have the same commitment to temporary employees as permanent ones and may be more inclined to assign them to more difficult and dangerous tasks.  Add to that, temporary agencies do not have as much control for safety and health at worksites.  This puts temporary workers at increased risk for accidents.

Protecting Warehouse Worker Statistics – Top 3 Frequently Cited Standards:

1. Powered Industrial Trucks

By far, forklifts are responsible for most injuries and accidents in warehouses:

• Average of 87 deaths
• 36% of forklift fatalities are pedestrians.
• Serious forklift injuries 34,900 annually
• Non-Serious forklift injuries 61,800 annually
• 11% of forklifts are involved in an accidents
• Most common (25%) are overturned forklifts

2. Maintenance safeguards and features for exit routes
3. Electrical

 OSHA Launches National Emphasis Program for Warehouse and Distribution Center Hazards

Last year, OSHA launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to prevent workplace hazards in warehousing and distribution center operations, mail/postal processing and distribution centers, parcel delivery/courier services and certain high-injury-rate retail establishments. The NEP is expected to expire in July 2026.

NEP Overview

Under this three-year NEP, OSHA will conduct comprehensive safety inspections focused on hazards related to:

•  Powered industrial vehicle operations
•  Material handling and storage
•  Walking and working surfaces
•  Means of egress and fire protection
• Heat-illness hazards
•  Ergonomic hazards

However, OSHA has the authority to expand the scope of any inspection when evidence shows that violations may exist in other areas of the establishment, particularly if heat, ergonomic and other health hazards are present.

The following outlines host employer responsibilities versus staffing agency responsibilities; however, it’s important to note the safety and health of temporary workers is the responsibility of both parties.

OSHA TWI Host Employer Responsibilities:

• Ensure compliance with OSHA requirements at the worksite as they generally control the means, methods and processes by which the work is accomplished.
• Responsible for: Site-specific protections, PPE, policies and procedures, including training.
• Hazard Assessment: Share results with the staffing agency and allow the staffing agency to conduct its own assessment.
• Provide all information regarding the requirements for assigned tasks.
• Partner with the Staffing Agency when investigations are conducted.

OSHA TWI Staffing Agency Responsibilities:

• Duty to inquire into the conditions of their workers’ assigned workplaces and verify that the host employer has fulfilled its responsibilities for a safe workplace
• Conduct a walkthrough of the warehouse worksite to identify tasks that temporary employees will perform, and any hazards related to those tasks.
• Ensure that employees receive site-specific training, although the host may provide such on-site training.

 Joint Responsibility

• Jointly Assess: all worksites for potential hazards to which the temporary worker might foreseeably be exposed during assigned work.r
• Identify and Eliminate: potential safety and health hazards through training, work practices, and…
• Ensure: PPE is provided and properly utilized.

Employer Next Steps

Warehouses and distribution centers should familiarize themselves with the NEP to understand what inspectors will be looking for. Employers are encouraged to implement and review their policies and procedures to ensure compliance with OSHA regulations.  https://www.osha.gov/warehousing

Several resources pertaining to the OSHA temporary worker initiative are available at:

https://www.osha.gov/warehousing/hazards-solutions