OSHA warns Big Lots workers on forklift safety risks
Big Lots’ furniture-heavy stores and distribution centers rely on forklifts, and OSHA says overturns cause about 25% of forklift deaths.
Forklift traffic is a daily hazard in Big Lots backrooms, receiving bays and crowded sales floors. Powered industrial trucks move large objects or multiple smaller loads on pallets, boxes, crates or other containers. Retail establishments face extra pedestrian-safety challenges because customers, associates and equipment can share the same space, and that is where the worst injuries tend to happen.
OSHA’s standard for powered industrial trucks, 1910.178, covers fire protection, design, maintenance and use. It requires operators to complete the training and evaluation spelled out in 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1), and it bars anyone under 18 from operating a forklift. Forklift overturns are the leading cause of forklift fatalities and account for about 25% of all forklift-related deaths. Horn use at blind corners, spotters, marked walkways and strict pedestrian separation are standard precautions in a store that is always trying to restock and stay open at the same time.
Big Lots operated 1,392 stores in 48 states and an e-commerce platform as of May 4, 2024. The Columbus, Ohio, company uses warehouse management technology to move merchandise from vendors to stores, a system that depends on tight receiving and replenishment routines. In stores that sell furniture and other bulky home goods, the same equipment that speeds freight handling can become dangerous if loads are unsecured, dock plates are ignored or workers try to cut corners around trailers and loading docks.
The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 9, 2024, started closing nearly 300 stores and reported about $4.7 billion in fiscal 2023 revenue. By December 27, 2024, Big Lots had reached an asset purchase agreement with Gordon Brothers Retail Partners that allowed stores, distribution centers and intellectual property to transfer to other retailers, including Variety Wholesalers.
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