Georgia Pols Push Warehouse Safety Bill

Georgia state representatives are expected to introduce a new bill on Monday limiting work-speed quotas in warehouses.
The Georgia Warehouse Workplace Protection Act (HB 16) would limit the use of work speed data, along with requiring the implementation of ergonomic measures to reduce musculoskeletal injuries, and institute paid rest breaks, among other requirements.
Rep. Kim Schofield (D) is introducing the bill alongside several Democratic colleagues as part of what he said was Georgia’s opportunity to lead the South in creating safer workplaces.
During the press conference planned to announce the legislation, local warehouse workers will share their experiences related to unsafe working conditions.
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Soon-to-be-published research found that while wearable technology has significant potential to cut down on workplace back injuries, it needs to be further investigated.
The study, “Ability of a passive back support exoskeleton to mitigate fatigue related adaptations in a complex repetitive lifting task” is set to be published in March in The Journal of Biomechanics.
“Wearable exoskeletons are coming on the market right now and a lot of people are wanting to integrate them in their work,” said fourth-year Brock University Kinesiology student Emma Ratke. “But there should be more research to make sure they are safe, and useful, especially if you implement them on a large scale.”
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Iowa OSHA is investigating a central Iowa biogas digester after a whistleblower alleged a 2023 fire injured two employees and that the site has ongoing natural gas leaks that endanger workers.
The probe at Marshall Ridge Dairy comes as it is seeking a state permit to nearly double its herd from 8,000 dairy cows to 15,000.
The facility which extracts methane from cow manure and turns it into renewable natural gas, had a fire in September 2023 that burned through the roof of a million-gallon digester tank, released methane and other gases and injured two employees, according to a complaint filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Two Democratic members of the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce are raising concerns about OSHA’s removal of information from its website and the reported destruction of physical copies of agency documents.
In a Feb. 13 letter to acting Labor Secretary Vince Micone, Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the panel, and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), wrote “OSHA’s staff should be focused on making workplaces safer, not erasing valuable information for arbitrary reasons.”
They’ve asked for a detailed account of the removed information by Feb. 28.
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