Unbeknownst to a lot of people, the workers who handle and carry grocery-related products at the warehouse level are at risk of suffering injuries or developing a variety of illnesses. If you work in a grocery store or warehouse, you may already be aware of the fact that you are at risk of developing anything from disc injuries and muscle strains to carpal tunnel and tendonitis. However, there are ways to avoid some of these hazards if you and your employer follow some of the guiding principles in ergonomics. A competent New Jersey workers’ compensation lawyer can further advise you with respect to the particulars of your on-the-job injuries.

One of the first things that you can do to help avoid injury is to, where possible, ask your employer to work with suppliers to get packages that are made up of smaller, lighter containers.  If you can accomplish this, it will help you avoid having to carry loads that tend to weigh upwards of 100 pounds. Additionally, when you are required to work with heavier items, you can seek to get better access to storage racks and transport devices so that you do not have to bend at the waist as much.

Furthermore, you can suggest to your employer that they work with suppliers to ensure that shipping containers (such as the boxes, buckets, and bags that the goods come in) are strong enough such that they won’t accidentally break, tear, or pull apart while you and the other workers are lifting them.

Most grocery warehouses utilize pallets for the goods that stock the grocery stores. Thus, another way to avoid injury when loading those pallets is to place the lighter products at the center of the pallet and the heavier ones on the outer edges to guarantee easier access when lifting those heavier items. You can also ask your employer to request lighter plastic pallets from suppliers.

You may also want to suggest to your employer to encourage suppliers to include slip sheets in between the layers of plastic packages. Doing so will reduce the stress on your hands, arms, shoulders, and back. Moreover, the use of an automatic plastic wrapping machine with the palletized product that sits on a turntable will decrease the possibility of you and your fellow workers having to bend at the waist to wrap the pallets. And when you are required to manually wrap pallets, the use of light rolls with handles will reduce the risk of cuts.

If you need a New Jersey workers’ compensation lawyer, please call Dan Matrafajlo at (908) 248-4404 for a free consultation.