Large corporations are not above the law, and that includes occupational health and safety regulations. Anheuser-Busch's recent encounter with OSHA over the safety of their New Jersey warehouse resulted in a $162,000 fine, and this is not the first time that a multinational business has been accused by a workplace health and safety agency of flouting warehouse safety.
Amazon’s warehouse has come under fire for its working conditions and one big retailer in the UK was accused of pushing the limits of safety after its distribution center received 76 ambulance calls over the course of two years. That’s an average of over three ambulance emergencies a month.
Ignoring warehouse safety always comes back to bite employers in the end. Whether it’s in the form of bad publicity or, in the case of Anheuser-Busch, a hefty fine. There are no business benefits to operating an unsafe warehouse.
Consistency Is Key
An important aspect of warehouse safety is to ensure there is consistency in global warehouse safety standards.
As a company grows and acquires operations or opens new ones, different parts of the company can take on lives of their own. This is why very large corporations often have strict company-wide policies.
EHS Today is an IndustryWeek companion site within Penton's Manufacturing & Supply Chain Group.
