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Musculoskeletal injuries don’t grab headlines, but they quietly drive some of the highest injury rates in warehouse environments. If you manage operations, safety, or HR in a facility that relies on manual labor, you’ve probably seen the toll: sore backs, aching shoulders, missed shifts, light-duty restrictions. Now, state lawmakers are stepping in to do what internal programs often can’t: make injury prevention mandatory.
Starting June 1, 2025, New York will enforce the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act. It’s a law requiring large warehouse employers to actively reduce ergonomic risks. And it’s a signal to the rest of the country: preventable strain injuries are now a compliance issue, not just a safety goal. This article breaks down what the new law means, why it matters even outside New York, and how smart companies can respond without straining their internal resources.
If you run a warehouse in New York State with 100+ employees in a single facility, or 1,000 across multiple sites, this law applies to you. You’ll be expected to:
These evaluations must be completed by a qualified ergonomist who understands the physical demands of warehouse work. Evaluations can’t be one-size-fits-all, they must look at specific job roles, tools, and workstations. For large operations, this includes sampling different shifts and tasks to ensure broad coverage. The law expects employers to update these evaluations annually and when new processes are introduced.
If a risk can’t be addressed immediately, you’ll need a documented corrective action plan. This includes a clear timeline, mitigation strategies, and evidence of follow-up. Simply identifying the issue isn’t enough, state regulators will want to see progress, especially in high-risk areas like repetitive lifting or prolonged awkward postures.
Training must be accessible. That means translating content where needed and tailoring it to match job-specific tasks. Visual materials, on-the-floor demonstrations, and culturally relevant examples are encouraged. Employers also need to train supervisors to support safe practices and spot early signs of injury.
Medical staff who treat MSDs must actively participate in prevention. They must observe tasks firsthand and help adjust job duties when needed. Medical evaluations and treatment protocols must also be reviewed annually to stay aligned with evolving standards and workplace changes.
Employees must be invited to contribute to evaluations and offer feedback on task design and physical demands. This helps identify hidden risks, like fatigue patterns or shortcuts workers take to meet quotas. Employers are also required to make risk evaluation results available to workers upon request.
This is no longer an optional best practice, it’s enforceable. Failure to comply can lead to state investigations, fines, and reputational damage. But beyond compliance, the law forces action on risks most employers already know are there but haven’t been able to fix quickly enough. New York is raising the bar, and other states are paying attention.
New York may be the first to put ergonomics into law for warehouse workers, but it won’t be the last. The rise in injury rates parallels the explosion of e-commerce. Warehouses have become faster, denser, and more reliant on human labor to meet high output targets. Workers at major brands have spoken out about physically exhausting jobs and pressure to meet tough quotas.
Their stories are shaping public opinion and catching the attention of regulators. States like Minnesota and Washington State have already passed or proposed similar laws, and others may soon follow. If your warehouse operates in multiple states, now is the time to align your safety practices with higher standards, not scramble when new rules are passed.
If you're in a state without these rules, now is the time to act. What seems optional today could quickly become mandatory, and when that happens, your current ergonomics program might not be enough.
Many safety teams still rely on outdated ergonomic methods that just can’t keep up with the pace of warehouse work. Manual observations, clipboards, and spreadsheets are slow, narrow in scope, and only capture a brief snapshot of what’s really happening. Heres why thats a problem:
With rising expectations and tighter timelines, traditional ergonomic programs often stay stuck in review cycles instead of driving real changes. To keep pace, safety teams need tools that can work as quickly and consistently as the jobs they support.
When it comes to reducing injury risk, time and accuracy matter. That’s where AI is changing the way safety teams approach ergonomics. Instead of relying on manual observation or complex equipment, AI-powered tools now make it possible to capture and analyze real-world tasks in seconds, just by using a smartphone.
TuMeke brings this technology straight to your fingertips. Our platform uses computer vision to analyze short videos of employees doing their jobs. It automatically maps posture, motion, and load, pinpointing high-risk movements without needing wearables or disrupting workflow. No waiting for consultants. No guesswork.
With TuMeke, you get:
If you operate in New York, TuMeke can help you meet every part of the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act, quickly and reliably. If you’re outside New York, we’ll help position you one step ahead of what’s coming next.
Ready to move faster on risk? Let TuMeke show you how.
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Musculoskeletal injuries don’t grab headlines, but they quietly drive some of the highest injury rates in warehouse environments. If you manage operations, safety, or HR in a facility that relies on manual labor, you’ve probably seen the toll: sore backs, aching shoulders, missed shifts, light-duty restrictions. Now, state lawmakers are stepping in to do what internal programs often can’t: make injury prevention mandatory.
Starting June 1, 2025, New York will enforce the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act. It’s a law requiring large warehouse employers to actively reduce ergonomic risks. And it’s a signal to the rest of the country: preventable strain injuries are now a compliance issue, not just a safety goal. This article breaks down what the new law means, why it matters even outside New York, and how smart companies can respond without straining their internal resources.
If you run a warehouse in New York State with 100+ employees in a single facility, or 1,000 across multiple sites, this law applies to you. You’ll be expected to:
These evaluations must be completed by a qualified ergonomist who understands the physical demands of warehouse work. Evaluations can’t be one-size-fits-all, they must look at specific job roles, tools, and workstations. For large operations, this includes sampling different shifts and tasks to ensure broad coverage. The law expects employers to update these evaluations annually and when new processes are introduced.
If a risk can’t be addressed immediately, you’ll need a documented corrective action plan. This includes a clear timeline, mitigation strategies, and evidence of follow-up. Simply identifying the issue isn’t enough, state regulators will want to see progress, especially in high-risk areas like repetitive lifting or prolonged awkward postures.
Training must be accessible. That means translating content where needed and tailoring it to match job-specific tasks. Visual materials, on-the-floor demonstrations, and culturally relevant examples are encouraged. Employers also need to train supervisors to support safe practices and spot early signs of injury.
Medical staff who treat MSDs must actively participate in prevention. They must observe tasks firsthand and help adjust job duties when needed. Medical evaluations and treatment protocols must also be reviewed annually to stay aligned with evolving standards and workplace changes.
Employees must be invited to contribute to evaluations and offer feedback on task design and physical demands. This helps identify hidden risks, like fatigue patterns or shortcuts workers take to meet quotas. Employers are also required to make risk evaluation results available to workers upon request.
This is no longer an optional best practice, it’s enforceable. Failure to comply can lead to state investigations, fines, and reputational damage. But beyond compliance, the law forces action on risks most employers already know are there but haven’t been able to fix quickly enough. New York is raising the bar, and other states are paying attention.
New York may be the first to put ergonomics into law for warehouse workers, but it won’t be the last. The rise in injury rates parallels the explosion of e-commerce. Warehouses have become faster, denser, and more reliant on human labor to meet high output targets. Workers at major brands have spoken out about physically exhausting jobs and pressure to meet tough quotas.
Their stories are shaping public opinion and catching the attention of regulators. States like Minnesota and Washington State have already passed or proposed similar laws, and others may soon follow. If your warehouse operates in multiple states, now is the time to align your safety practices with higher standards, not scramble when new rules are passed.
If you're in a state without these rules, now is the time to act. What seems optional today could quickly become mandatory, and when that happens, your current ergonomics program might not be enough.
Many safety teams still rely on outdated ergonomic methods that just can’t keep up with the pace of warehouse work. Manual observations, clipboards, and spreadsheets are slow, narrow in scope, and only capture a brief snapshot of what’s really happening. Heres why thats a problem:
With rising expectations and tighter timelines, traditional ergonomic programs often stay stuck in review cycles instead of driving real changes. To keep pace, safety teams need tools that can work as quickly and consistently as the jobs they support.
When it comes to reducing injury risk, time and accuracy matter. That’s where AI is changing the way safety teams approach ergonomics. Instead of relying on manual observation or complex equipment, AI-powered tools now make it possible to capture and analyze real-world tasks in seconds, just by using a smartphone.
TuMeke brings this technology straight to your fingertips. Our platform uses computer vision to analyze short videos of employees doing their jobs. It automatically maps posture, motion, and load, pinpointing high-risk movements without needing wearables or disrupting workflow. No waiting for consultants. No guesswork.
With TuMeke, you get:
If you operate in New York, TuMeke can help you meet every part of the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act, quickly and reliably. If you’re outside New York, we’ll help position you one step ahead of what’s coming next.
Ready to move faster on risk? Let TuMeke show you how.