08/15/2023

Workers' Comp & Safety

OSHA news from Sedgwick

The following information is provided by Sedgwick, the administrator of OWMA's Workers' Compensation Group Rating Program. 

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National Emphasis Program - warehousing and distribution

Effective July 13, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a National Emphasis Program (NEP) aimed at reducing and preventing hazards and injuries in warehousing and distribution centers. In addition to those industries, OSHA will also be focusing on mail/postal processing facilities and parcel delivery/courier services.  OSHA will be enforcing this program over the next three years and will be looking for hazards related to powered industrial vehicle operations, material handling and storage, walking and working surfaces, means of egress and fire protection.  Hazards associated with this industry include, but are not limited to, struck by, caught-in-between, slips, trips and falls, blocked aisles, material handling equipment, heat and ergonomic hazards. 

According to OSHA, this industry has seen tremendous growth over the past 10 years, employing almost 2.0 million people.  In addition to growth, these industries have witnessed an increase in worker injuries, with injury rates higher than the private sector overall, and even some with twice the rate.  Therefore, OSHA will be focusing their resources to encourage employers to address the root causes of worker injuries and ensure their business practices incorporate safety into their operations to minimize injuries and illnesses. 

The target industries will be chosen from two lists.  The first list will include industries identified under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) by the NEP program and the second list will be retail establishments with the highest injury rates resulting in days away, restricted duty or job transfer, also known as DART.  The most recent employer reported injury and illness data comes from OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application from CY 2021.  The following tables include the industries included in the NEP:

Table 1: NAICS codes for Warehousing and Distribution Center Operations, Mail/Postal Processing and Distribution Centers, and Parcel Delivery/Courier Services covered under this NEP.

Table 2: High Injury Rate Retail Establishments covered under this NEP

As with other NEP’s, OSHA will implement a 90-day Outreach program that supports the purpose of the NEP and industries covered under Table 2 will be offered outreach prior to undergoing inspections.

Review the entire Warehousing and Distribution Center NEP here. 

Review the full list of OSHA’s NEP’s here.

For more information, please contact Andy Sawan at andrew.sawan@sedgwick.com or 330.819.4728.