The giant corporate warehouses have become ubiquitous in America. Everywhere you turn there is a new super-sized warehouse popping up. These warehouses throughout the country are necessary to meet customer expectations of receiving the items they order quickly. However, this reported obsession with speed has come at a cost for warehouse workers and delivery drivers who are often under the gun to perform at a high level for the company.
Now, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating whether speed quotas violate regulations that may have led to workers being injured while on the job.
Any injury that occurs on the job, whether it is due to a violation of a federal regulation or not, may be filed as a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim.
Worker safety is at the heart of the work that OSHA does and with these investigations regulators are looking into whether some of these large warehouses have violated federal regulations to keep people safe while on the job. OSHA launched the investigation into warehouses in New York, Chicago and Orlando. This month it has expanded its inspections to included warehouses in Albany, New York, Denver, Colorado and Boise, Idaho.
The focus of the investigation as it stands currently is to determine whether speed quotas expose workers to potential workplace safety hazards. Inspectors are focusing on three areas relating to worker safety. The first is in record keeping of injuries that occur in the warehouses. The second is looking at ergonomics programs. The third is Power Industrial Trucks (PIT) operations.
If violations are found then often regulators will fine companies for not meeting the required safety standards. Workplace safety experts argue that these fines are not enough to make any major company act because they are small and inconsequential to a multi-billion dollar operation.
If you are working at a large warehouse, and you get injured, you may be able to file a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim. The first step after your injury is to report it to your supervisor who is required to start the process of filing a claim.
If you’re in a situation where your claim is denied, or you are not sure how to take the next step in the process of filing a claim, you may need to speak with an attorney. Contact our office, and one of our board-certified workers’ compensation attorneys will speak with you about your claim.
