Warehouse Safety: Preventing theMost Common Pallet-Related Injuries

Pallet-related injuries are among the most common workplace incidents in warehouse and logistics environments. OSHA reports that pallets are a contributing factor in approximately 30,000 workplace injuries per year in the US — most of them preventable.

The most common pallet injury: stepping on a nail. Protruding nails on damaged pallets penetrate through standard work boots and cause puncture wounds that are prone to infection. Prevention: always inspect pallets before handling, remove damaged pallets from circulation immediately, and require steel-toe boots with puncture-resistant soles.

Back injuries from manual pallet handling are the second most common category. Empty pallets weigh 35-60 lbs and are awkward to carry. Prevention: use mechanical aids whenever possible, train proper lifting technique, and limit manual carrying distance to 10 feet.

Falling pallet stacks cause some of the most serious injuries. Improperly stacked pallets can topple when bumped by a forklift or when the bottom pallet gives way. Prevention: limit stack heights per your facility's safety standards, always stack squarely, and never climb on pallet stacks.

Splinter injuries, while less severe, are extremely common and lead to lost time if they become infected. Prevention: require leather gloves for all pallet handling operations.

Forklift-pallet interaction injuries — typically crushing injuries when a pallet is dropped from height — are the most severe category. Prevention: ensure forklift operators are certified, pallets are properly engaged before lifting, and pedestrians maintain safe distances from forklift operations.

At Riverside Pallet Co., we remove all protruding nails during our repair process and reject pallets with structural defects that could cause injuries. Quality isn't just about performance — it's about safety.