DC Velocity - July 2017

4 DC VELOCITY JULY 2017 www.dcvelocity.com inbound

Though we’re just weeks into summer, warehouse and DC managers are already thinking about how they’ll handle the heavy volumes that will come their way during peak season this fall. For many, that will mean hiring temporary labor.

Temps can be a great solution for seasonal businesses—if they’re safely incorporated into the workforce. Unfortunately, some employers take shortcuts when it comes to temp workers’ safety, said Scott Bicksler, lead safety manager for Aerotek, at the Industrial Truck Association’s 2017 National Forklift Safety Day event in Washington, D.C. Aerotek, a Hanover, Md.-based recruiting and staffing company, says it places more than 300,000 contract employees annually; according to Bicksler, that includes about 10,000 forklift operators.

Many of these shortcuts fall into the category of record-keeping and communication. For instance, staffing agencies say they’ve seen cases where warehouse supervisors required temps to operate forklifts, even though the employer did not specify that lift truck operation would be part of the job. In addition, there is evidence that injuries to temporary employees are underreported and that some employers don’t track and document temporary workers’ on-site training, Bicksler said. This may be due to employers’ failure to recognize that although the staffing agency hires the workers, the employer still has many of the same responsibilities under Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules as it does for direct employees.

For that reason, Bicksler recommended that in addition to a complete description of each position’s actual responsibilities, any contract for temporary staffing should specify who has responsibility for safety and equipment training, tracking, and documentation; OSHA reporting; and medical supervision and record-keeping. He also urged employers and supervisors to become fully familiar with OSHA’s Temporary Worker Initiative, which clarifies staffing agencies’ and employers’ responsibilities and provides information on best practices. To learn more, go to https://www.osha.gov/temp_workers/ index.html.

Forklift safety isn’t seasonal

Here’s our monthly roundup of some of the charitable works
and donations by companies in the material handling and
logistics space.

; FMH Conveyors donated conveyer machinery to Second Harvest of South Georgia after damaging tornadoes struck the state. Organized by the American Logistics Aid Network Based on the campaign’s success, Fairchild says it has decided to make the donation drive a regular biyearly event.

; Calgary-based transcontinental railway Canadian Pacific (CP) raised $50,000 for the Do It for Life “DIL” Walk Foundation’s Community Heart Failure Assessment, Rehabilitation, and Management (CHARM) clinic, which provides assistance and education to patients diagnosed with the dangerous condition. The funds came from the company’s sponsorship of an annual equestrian tournament (in which CP donates $10,000 for each clear round jumped by a competitor and his horse) as well as other employee events.

; Marengo, Ill.-based
material handling equip-
ment vendor UniCarriers

Americas Corp. (UCA) worked with Make-A-Wish Illinois to send a five-year-old boy with a life-threaten-ing heart condition on his dream vacation to Hawaii. The trip was made possible by a donation from the company as well as funds raised by UCA employees through bake sales, chili cook-offs, raffles, and silent auctions.

; When damaging fires hit Eastern Tennessee, Allied Toyota Lift, International Paper, and Refrigiwear came to the aid of local communities. The companies together donated four forklifts, 1,500-plus gaylords (bulk bins) and boxes, and 10 cases of hand-warmer packs to the disaster relief effort. The donations, which were organized by the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), were quickly put to good use: The forklifts were used to move materials, which were stored and transported in the donated boxes and gaylords, while the forklift operators used the donated hand warmers.