Injury and illness rates in warehouses are too high, OIG tells OSHA

Washington — OSHA hasn’t “effectively addressed” elevated damage and illness rates in the warehousing trade, the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General contends.

A current DOL OIG audit, the outcomes of which have been launched Sept. 27, sought to reply the query: “To what extent has OSHA addressed high injury and illness rates at warehouses (before and during the COVID-19 pandemic)?” The oversight company analyzed damage, illness, grievance and inspection knowledge from October 2016 by means of 2021; interviewed OSHA personnel; and reviewed OSHA steering and requirements. 

OIG says the damage and illness charge in 2021 was 5.5 per 100 staff – “more than double the rate across all industries” – and 5.1 per 100 staff throughout the audit interval. The audit revealed that OSHA performed almost 3,800 inspections in the trade, protecting 4.1% of institutions self-classified as warehouses. OIG additionally discovered that 82% of these inspections have been unprogrammed, primarily stemming from referrals or complaints.

OIG makes seven suggestions to OSHA:

1. Update the standards for the variety of institutions to be included in the Site-Specific Targeting Program’s universes to raised mirror trade development and the variety of eligible institutions nationwide.
2. Develop particular, measurable inspection targets for the Site-Specific Targeting Program, together with a baseline for the variety of inspections in every Site-Specific Targeting class, and periodically monitor progress towards these targets.
3. Develop a more practical enforcement technique to enhance employer Form 300A compliance.
4. Assess Form 300A knowledge classes and collect extra particular supporting details about accidents to raised establish the depend and sort of accidents reported, similar to musculoskeletal issues.
5. Develop improved Form 300A knowledge analyses to raised establish traits amongst industries and institutions.
6. Develop particular measurable inspection targets for the warehousing National Emphasis Program, together with a baseline for the variety of inspections to finish and periodically monitor progress towards these targets. Ensure the targets include metrics that exhibit the outcomes of this system.
7. Issue particular coaching to handle the coaching elements of the warehouse National Emphasis Program.

OSHA administrator Doug Parker pushed again on OIG’s conclusions, saying the audit was primarily based on a restricted set of information factors that “do not account for important contextual factors.” It additionally, he claims, didn’t take into account the general impacts on employee security throughout a number of industries and makes an attempt to make “broad policy judgments” that “go well beyond OIG’s expertise.”

Parker writes: “OSHA recognizes a need to increase the effectiveness of our enforcement activities to protect workers from the unacceptable injury rates in the warehousing and related sectors. OSHA not only disagrees with the OIG’s report but is frustrated and disappointed with the OIG’s conclusions. The OIG’s methodology and reasoning are flawed and do not result in recommendations that would strengthen OSHA’s enforcement efforts.”

Finally, he contends that the audit course of was a “missed opportunity to work collaboratively” with OSHA personnel on enforcement packages in the sector.