Months after Gov. Kathy Hochul in New York signed a bill aimed at protecting warehouse workers from unfair quotas that increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, lawmakers have introduced a second bill that would require companies to develop safety initiatives to prevent injuries.
S.B. 5081, introduced Tuesday, would bolster requirements set by S.B. 8922, known as the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, which became law in December 2022 and requires employers to establish an injury reduction program to minimize the risk of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders.
The new bill states that companies with “workers involved in performing manual materials handling tasks” would need to have in place an injury reduction plan that calls for the hiring of a certified ergonomist to perform worksite evaluations and gather input from workers. The bill includes anti-retaliation language to protect workers who report issues.
The bill also requires employers to correct “in a timely manner any risk factor identified as having caused or being likely to cause musculoskeletal injuries and disorders.”