Union workers seeking improved workplace safety conditions reportedly conducted a rally last week outside a warehouse company in Mira Loma, California. Sources say that a formal complaint over warehouse safety issues has been filed with Cal-OSHA over conditions at an Olivet International warehouse, according to the Inland Valley Daily Tribune.
Cal-OSHA says that complaints are confidential, but taken seriously by the workplace safety agency. A spokesman for the agency says that an inspection had not been opened, but it is not clear from media reports whether the agency is making any plans to investigate the issue as time passes. If a probe is conducted, it could take up to six months to learn any Cal-OSHA findings.
Workplace safety is obviously a vitally important issue. Workers exposed to safety hazards can suffer serious injuries that can have dire affects upon a household budget. California’s workers’ compensation laws provide benefits for workers who are injured on the job, as well as for workers who suffer from an occupational disease. While safety regulations are intended to reduce risks, workers may become injured in the absence of a safety violation. Workers’ comp laws understand that precise issue.
The recent warehouse safety complaint raises allegations that workers have been exposed to a variety of unsafe working conditions. Workers claim that fire exits at the warehouse have been blocked in some fashion, which (if found to be true) can expose workers to increased risk of danger in the event of a fire. Additionally, the workers say that boxes are stacked to high, creating instability. Unsafe lighting conditions, forklifts in disrepair and leaks in propane tanks and hoses related to forklifts are also among the alleged safety hazards at the warehouse.
Source: Inland Daily Bulletin, “Warehouse workers rally following complaint filed with state,” Canan Tasci, May 23, 2013
