Seasonal workers in high-injury warehousing pose safety concerns

October 4, 2023

As retailers begin hiring seasonal workers to meet the demands of the upcoming holiday season, experts are stressing the importance of safety training for temporary employees who may be new to fast-paced industries such as warehousing and delivery.

Over the years retail work has shifted more toward mail-order and has become a focus for safety regulators as the demanding labor has led to more strains and other injuries.

Seasonal workers pose a dilemma, experts say. Such temporary workers “might be willing to compromise safety or to take additional tasks and additional risks associated with those tasks to impress their potential employer,” said Vernon Iturralde, a Houston-based assistant vice president of risk control with Gallagher Bassett Services Inc. “And if they’re not trained or expected to do that, then they could really put themselves at a disadvantage from a risk perspective.”

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