Warehouse Worker is Injured in Preventable Fall

Case Overview

This case takes place in Texas and involves an employee of a national auto parts distributor who was injured in the warehouse. He was instructed to retrieve a box of heavy components that was high up on a shelf in the warehouse. The employee proceeded to climb up the structure of the shelf itself, without the use of a ladder or other appropriate climbing aid. As he was bringing the box down, he lost his balance and fell nearly ten feet to the concrete flooring of the warehouse. He subsequently broke bones in both legs and had to undergo reconstructive surgery, as well as physical rehabilitation in order to regain his mobility. It is alleged that the plaintiff was not provided with the proper equipment or training to prevent an accident like this from occurring, and that his managers ignored the dangerous conditions that this caused.

Questions to the Security expert and their responses

Please discuss your background in teaching and setting safety measures for big box retail/grocery stores in a warehouse setting.

I have over 30 years of experience with big box retail/warehouse safety and security management. I understand the protocols that are standard in the industry as it relates to safety and security measures in the retail and warehouse environment.

What measures could have been in place to prevent this accident?

From a look at the case description, it seems fairly obvious that best practices were not followed by this company. An employee should never be made to climb warehouse shelving in order to retrieve items, especially without any sort of safety device or supervision. The fact that the employee did not have ready access to the appropriate equipment is particularly worrying.

Are you able to review the case on behalf of the plaintiff and potentially testify to your findings?

I would be happy to review this case.

About the expert

This highly qualified expert is OSHA certified in Occupational Safety Training and he formerly served in various Directorial positions at both Sam's Club and Walmart. His area of expertise includes but is not limited to asset protection, security, safety, investigations, regulatory compliance, training and development, and general strategic planning. During his time at Sam's club he was in charge of approximately 300 stores where he was responsible for designing and implementing safety protocol and processes.