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Profile: Public Warehousing and Storage

High lift loader


Office of General Industry Enforcement

Table of Contents
Industry Group 422 - Public Warehousing and Storage

Industry Description:

Public warehousing and storage includes establishments engaged in the warehousing and storage of farm products, SIC 4221; perishable goods under refrigeration, SIC 4222; general line of goods, SIC 4225; and special products, not elsewhere classified, SIC 4226.

Process Description:

A fleet of trucks of various sizes is often required for delivery to and from the warehouse. Materials for storage are unloaded at the docks and placed in designated areas. Length of storage time ranges from a day to years. Items stored may include farm products such as beans, cotton, grains, potatoes, tobacco and wool. Special types of warehousing may also be used for automobile storage, fur storage, lumber terminals, oil and gasoline storage, petroleum and chemical bulk stations and terminals as well as for textiles and liquor. Refrigerated warehouses may store any type of perishable goods and some furs. Also included are food lockers, which may or may not provide services for processing, preparing, or packaging such food for storage. Materials are moved by either hand or mechanical handling equipment (forklifts, etc.) to storage bays or racks or refrigerated rooms.



BLS Profile

Total Recordable Case Rate (Industry Group - 422)
Year Annual
1995 10.6
1996 10.5(C)
1997 9.6
1998 8.6
1999 8.7
2000 9.0
2001 8.8
2002 7.9*
2003 10.1**
2004 9.3
C: Continuity break
graph: Total Recordable Case Rate


Lost Workday Case Rate (Industry Group - 422)
Year Annual
1995 5.5
1996 5.8(C)
1997 5.1
1998 4.6
1999 4.5
2000 5.0
2001 4.9
2002 5.3*
2003 7.5**
2004 5.8
C: Continuity break
graph: Lost Workday Case Rate


Cases with Days Away Rate (Industry Group - 422)
Year Annual
1995 4.0
1996 3.5(C)
1997 3.2
1998 2.7
1999 2.7
2000 3.0
2001 2.4
2002 2.7*
2003 3.0**
2004 2.8
C: Continuity break
graph: Cases with Days Away Rate

* Effective January 1, 2002, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revised its requirements for recording occupational injuries and illnesses. Due to the revised recordkeeping rule, the estimates from the 2002 survey are not comparable with those from previous years, thus resulting in the discontinuous graph lines.

** Beginning with the 2003 reference year, the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses began using the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Prior to 2003, the survey used the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. The substantial differences between these systems result in breaks in series for industry data.

Fatality Total for NAICS Group 4931 (2004): 21

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (National data)


National Summary by Region
NAICS 4931
Regions Establishments with 10 or more employees
Establishments Employees
1 279 18072
2 854 54123
3 472 40709
4 831 67967
5 1076 98979
6 920 72321
7 324 27968
8 155 7512
9 N/A N/A
10 31 1772



N/A = Data not available

Establishment and employment counts come from Dunn & Bradstreet, March 2006



Average Case and Demographic Characteristics
Average cases per year, 1995-2000 5,103
Demographics of worker Sex 87.6% men
Age 29.8% ages 25-34
28.9% ages 35-44
16.2% ages 45-54
Length of service with
employer		 38.4% 1-5 years
36.5% less than 1 year
21.9% more than 5 years
Race/ethnic origin 54.0% white non-Hispanic
15.1% Hispanic of any race
12.4% black non-Hispanic
Characteristics of
injury/illness		 Days away from work 49.9% 1-5 days
30.6% 6-30 days
19.5% 31 or more days
Nature of
injury/illness		 46.2% strains/sprains
16.0% "all other" natures
11.9% bruises/contusions
Part of body affected 28.2% back
25.2% legs/knees/feet/toes
16.4% arms/wrists/hands/fingers
Source of
injury/illness		 26.9% containers
17.5% vehicles (incl. forklifts)
13.3% worker motion/position
13.0% floors/ground surfaces
10.3% "all other" sources
Event or exposure 27.8% overexertion
15.2% struck by object
12.6% "all other" events/exposures
9.0% vehicle incidents
Source: OSHA Office of Statistical Analysis compilation of BLS data

Note: The percentages on this table do not sum to 100%. Only the most frequently coded characteristics are listed. The "All Other" category should not be interpreted as being all inclusive of the categories not listed above.


Inspection Summary
FY 2004
Federal OSHA Inspection Data
Industry Group 422
Federal Data Only I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X Total
Total Inspections
Records Insp.

Safety
Health		 27
0

21
6		 87
4

57
30		 44
1

30
14		 41
0

27
14		 70
0

53
17		 55
5

39
16		 22
0

15
7		 10
0

7
3		 20
0

20
0		 13
0

10
3		 389
10

279
110
Inspections By Type
Unprogrammed
  Accidents
  Complaints
  Referrals
  Monitoring
  Variance
  Follow-Up
  Unprog. Related
  Other

Programmed
  Planned
  Prog. Related
  Other
19
0
16
3
0
0
0
0
0

8
7
0
1
57
2
35
15
0
0
3
2
0

30
29
0
1
29
1
26
2
0
0
0
0
0

15
15
0
0
30
3
21
1
0
0
3
2
0

11
10
1
0
57
2
50
2
0
0
1
2
0

13
7
5
1
18
3
10
0
0
0
2
3
0

37
36
1
0
11
0
10
0
0
0
0
1
0

11
10
0
1
4
1
2
1
0
0
0
0
0

6
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

20
16
4
0
2
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0

11
11
0
0
227
12
171
25
0
0
9
10
0

162
147
11
4
Source: IMIS Database


Top 10 Violations Cited
Standard # Cited # Insp   Description
1910.178 171 101   Powered Industrial Trucks
1910.1200 105 49   Hazard Communication
1910.37 71 53   Means of Egress
1910.305 69 48   Wiring Methods, Components, Equipment - General Use
1910.303 61 53   Electrical Systems Design, General
1910.147 52 23   The Control of Hazardous Energy, Lockout/Tagout
1910.157 52 44   Portable Fire Extinguishers
1910.23 47 32   Guarding Floor & Wall Openings
1910.134 40 15   Respiratory Protection
1910.176 40 37   Materials Handling


Source: IMIS Database - FY 2005 (Federal Only)

Average Number of Employees per Establishment: N/A
Percent small establishments: N/A



Some Potential Hazards and Their Sources
Hazard Source
Slips and Trips Floors - wet, icy; housekeeping issues
Vehicle - Vehicle Accidents Mechanical handling equipment - forklifts, etc.
Vehicle - Employee Accidents Mechanical handling equipment - forklifts, etc.
Falls Overhead storage platforms
Crushing - Shifting or Falling Material Mechanical handling equipment, dock boards, stored material
Respiratory Ailments, Headaches Carbon monoxide


2003 BLS Industry Data for
Industry Group 422 - PUBLIC WAREHOUSE AND STORAGE
All Reported Cases 14190
Nature of Illness or Injury
Sprains, Strains
Fractures
Cuts, Punctures
Bruises
Heat Burns
Chemical Burns
Amputations
Carpal Tunnel
Tendonitis
Mult Trauma Total
Mult Trauma With Fracture
Mult Trauma With Sprain
Back Pain Total
Back Pain Hurt Back Only
All Other

 Number
6630
1010
970
1400
N/A
N/A
40
200
160
580
50
310
1020
380
2130
 % Total
46.7
7.1
6.8
9.9
N/A
N/A
0.3
1.4
1.1
4.1
0.4
2.2
7.2
2.7
15.0
Part of Body Affected
Head Total
Eyes
Neck
Trunk Total
Trunk Back
Trunk Shoulder
Upper Extremities Total
Upper Extremities Finger
Upper Extremities Hand
Upper Extremities Wrist
Lower Extremities Total
Lower Extremities Knee
Lower Extremities Foot Toe
Body Systems
Multiple Body Parts
All Other Body Parts

 Number
820
580
230
5690
3630
1030
3070
1050
670
620
3010
980
820
100
1160
120
 % Total
5.8
4.1
1.6
40.1
25.6
7.3
21.6
7.4
4.7
4.4
21.2
6.9
5.8
0.7
8.2
0.8
Source of Injury or Illness
Chem And Chem Products
Containers
Furniture And Fixtures
Machinery
Parts And Materials
Worker Motion
Floors Walkways
Handtools
Vehicle
Health Care Patient
All Other Sources

 Number
140
4820
750
770
640
1920
1820
430
1810
N/A
1080
 % Total
1.0
34.0
5.3
5.4
4.5
13.5
12.8
3.0
12.8
N/A
7.6
Sex
Men
Women
Sex Not Reported

 Number
11030
3160
N/A
 % Total
77.5
22.3
N/A
Age
Under 14
14 to 15
16 to 19
20 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 And Over
Not Reported

 Number
N/A
N/A
580
2070
4000
3610
2540
920
70
400
 % Total
N/A
N/A
4.1
14.6
28.2
25.4
17.9
6.5
0.5
2.8
Race
White
Black
Asian
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Hispanic or Latino or Other
Multirace
Not Reported

Number
5240
1250
90
150
N/A
N/A
N/A
5350		 % Total
36.9
8.8
0.6
1.1
N/A
N/A
N/A
37.7
Length of Service
Less Than 3 Months
3 to 11 Months
1 to 5 years
More Than 5 Years
Service Not Reported

 Number
1740
3340
5380
3720
N/A
 % Total
12.3
23.5
37.9
26.2
N/A
Days away from work
1 Day
2 Days
3 to 5 Days
6 to 10 Days
11 to 20 Days
21 to 30 Days
31 Days Or More
Median Days Away

 Number
1990
1320
2380
1570
1940
980
4020
10		 % Total
14.0
9.3
16.8
11.1
13.7
6.9
28.3
N/A
Event/Exposure Leading to Injury
Total Contact With Objects
Struck By Object
Struck Against Object
Caught In Object
Fall to Lower Level
Fall On Same Level
Slips Or Trips
Overexertion Total
Overexertion In Lifting
Repetitive Motion
Exposure to Harmful Substance
Transportation Accidents
Fires And Explosions
Total Assaults - Violent Acts
Assaults by Person
All Other Assaults
All Other Events

 Number
4120
2020
850
960
500
1580
230
4780
3010
630
260
720
N/A
20
20
N/A
1350		 % Total
29.0
14.2
6.0
6.8
3.5
11.1
1.6
33.7
21.2
4.4
1.8
5.1
N/A
0.1
0.1
N/A
9.5


Photo Credit:
  1. Warehouse scene - Occupational Safety and Health Administration Website. www.osha.gov

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