It was recently announced that several warehouses and facilities owned by a well-known e-commerce company failed to provide a safe workplace for its employees. It was found that workers were put at risk of ergonomic injuries, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of fines for violating OSHA’s General Duty Clause. According to OSHA, ergonomic injuries (injuries that result in musculoskeletal disorders) are known to be some of the most common among Americans. And while ergonomic injuries in the workplace are certainly serious, they are just one of a host of safety related injuries that occur annually in American industrial facilities and warehouses. Safety managers have a duty to protect employees from all safety hazards. And year after year the most reported OSHA violations are fall protection focused.
With large corporations failing to acknowledge the importance of safe workplaces, OSHA is paying even more attention to warehouse safety. Safety managers can guarantee this will result in an increase in unannounced OSHA visits. With this expected increase in inspections, now is the time to also consider whether your warehouse’s fall safety is up to OSHA standards as well.
Are Your Fall Protection Systems Up to Par?
With OSHA paying close attention to warehouse facilities, it is certain that they will have their eyes out for more than just the potential for ergonomic injuries. They will also be on high alert for any places in your facilities that seem unsafe, fall protection being at the top of that list. When it comes to the safety of employees, nothing else takes precedent. With this in mind, now is the perfect time to evaluate the state of your fall protection systems so your facility doesn’t end up with the same types of fines from OSHA. This fate that other large warehouses and facilities faced can be avoided by taking simple steps like enhancing the safety of your facility by installing a modular railing for equipment protection. In fact, modular guardrails are ideal for all your warehouse fall protection and machine safeguarding needs.
What Are the Consequences of Inadequate Fall Protection and Safety Planning?
As mentioned previously, OSHA fined several facilities more than $48,000 each for inadequate protection for workers. But OSHA fines are the least of your worries if you’re not OSHA compliant. You’re also putting workers at risk of serious injury, leading to high worker’s compensation payments, medical expenses, and potential legal consequences. The average cost to employers for workplace slips and fall claims is upwards of $20,000. In the case of litigation, you can expect to quadruple that or more. In addition, you may be held liable for the employee’s medical expenses in the short and long term. You’ll also pay a steep price in the following ways:
- Your warehouse could be shut down until the violations are fixed.
- Workplace injuries can cause a sharp drop in employee morale.
- Productivity will decrease after a slip and fall injury.
- You’ll have difficulty attracting new talent if your warehouse is unsafe.
- You may lose business deals and limit your ability to grow.
- The financial blow could be too much for your company to withstand and closure may be imminent.
How to Stay Compliant with OSHA Warehouse Fall Protection and Machine Guarding Safety Requirements
Every area of your warehouse facility presents workers with a unique set of hazards. Working on a mezzanine exposes workers to the risk of falling over the edge or on the stairway leading up to it. The same goes for catwalks and other elevated walkways. The risks hardly end with potential falls from height. There are also countless pieces of machinery that present a severe risk of injury if an employee accidentally comes into contact with it while in operation, which makes machine guarding safety so important. Identifying the hazards in your warehouse is vital. But then, you must take action to meet the fall protection standards in OSHA 1910.28.
- Employers have a duty to provide fall protection and falling object protection for their employees.
- Fall protection must be in place whenever workers perform duties 4′ or more above a lower level.
- Employers must provide fall protection and machine guarding safety training.
It is up to you to determine what type of fall protection equipment and devices are appropriate for the situation. For machine guarding, a modular railing for equipment may be your best option. Because it can easily be relocated, when not needed, it can protect any area where a fall hazard exists in moments. If you choose to use railings for machine safeguarding, they must meet the criteria in OSHA 2910.29(b):
- The height of a guardrail must be 42″ (plus or minus 3″) measured from the walking/working surface.
- Top rails must be able to withstand 200 lbs. of force in any direction without failing.
- Midrails must handle a force of 150 pounds of downward outward force without fail.
- The finish of railings must be smooth and free of hazards that can snag, scratch, or injure workers.
- All openings in guardrails must be too small for items to pass through.
- Toeboards must be 3.5 inches tall, measured from the walking/working surface.
- Railings must be secure and well-maintained to ensure optimal protection for workers.
Employee Safety and OSHA Compliance Go Hand-in-Hand
OSHA is more focused than ever on preventing injuries in the workplace and that means you need to step up all of your safety efforts. Take a good, hard look at what’s going on in your facility, then contact us to talk about ways to update and improve the safety of your warehouse workers. From a modular railing for equipment and machine safeguarding to fall protection for elevated working/walking surfaces, our qualified safety experts are here to help. We are committed to making sure you find the best fall protection solutions for your employees and your company.
