Practical compliance guides, inspection protocols, and operational frameworks for logistics and warehouse professionals who take safety seriously.
OSHA compliance isn't a one-time checklist — it's an ongoing operational discipline. These guides break down the standards that apply most directly to warehouse and logistics environments and translate them into the daily practices that keep your operation citation-free.
The foundational standard for most warehouse and distribution operations. Covers walking-working surfaces, means of egress, fire protection, materials handling, and machine guarding — the categories most cited during unannounced inspections.
Improper recordkeeping is one of the most common — and most avoidable — OSHA violations. This guide covers which incidents must be recorded, the 7-day and 24-hour reporting deadlines, and how to complete each form correctly.
If your facility uses or stores any hazardous chemicals — including cleaning agents, lubricants, and battery acid — HazCom compliance is mandatory. This guide covers SDS requirements, container labeling, and employee training documentation.
Forklifts are involved in approximately 85 fatalities and 34,900 serious injuries in U.S. workplaces every year. Nearly all are preventable. These protocols cover the operator certification requirements, pre-shift inspection standards, and maintenance practices that OSHA inspectors check first.
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(l) requires that every powered industrial truck operator be evaluated and certified before operating independently. Certification is not a one-time event — refresher training is required when unsafe operation is observed, after an accident, or when a new truck type is introduced.
OSHA requires that forklifts be inspected before each shift — or daily if used around the clock. A defective truck must be removed from service immediately and not returned until repaired. This guide covers the required inspection points and how to document them correctly.
The majority of forklift fatalities involve pedestrians — not operators. Effective pedestrian separation is a physical design problem, not just a training problem. This guide covers aisle marking standards, speed limit signage, intersection mirrors, and the physical barriers that reduce exposure.
A safe warehouse is a maintained warehouse. Equipment that isn't serviced fails at the worst moments. Floor markings that fade stop communicating. Air systems that aren't cleaned breed mold and respiratory hazards. These best practices cover the upkeep disciplines that prevent incidents before they happen.
Deferred maintenance is the leading cause of equipment-related incidents in warehouse environments. A formal preventive maintenance program — with documented service intervals, parts records, and out-of-service logs — is both an OSHA expectation and a liability shield. This guide covers how to build and sustain one.
Faded floor paint isn't just an aesthetic problem — it's a compliance failure. OSHA 1910.22 requires that permanent aisles and passageways be appropriately marked. Visual safety systems only work when they're visible. This guide covers the marking standards, inspection schedules, and repainting protocols that keep your facility communicating clearly.
Warehouse HVAC systems handle enormous volumes of air carrying dust, diesel particulates, chemical vapors, and moisture. Neglected filters don't just reduce air quality — they create the conditions for mold growth, respiratory illness, and OSHA air contaminant violations. This guide covers the filter replacement schedules, inspection protocols, and documentation practices that protect your workforce and your facility.
Mold in a warehouse isn't just a property problem — it's a worker health hazard and a potential OSHA General Duty Clause violation. Moisture intrusion, roof leaks, condensation on cold surfaces, and neglected HVAC systems are the primary entry points. This guide covers the prevention protocols, early detection practices, and remediation standards that keep mold from becoming a regulatory event.
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38 requires every employer to maintain a written Emergency Action Plan. Most facilities have one — few have one that actually works under pressure. These guides cover the required elements, how to test your plan before you need it, and the documentation practices that protect you during an OSHA investigation.
An EAP that doesn't meet 1910.38 requirements offers no protection — legal or practical. This guide walks through every required element, the most common gaps found during OSHA inspections, and how to close them before an inspector does it for you.
A plan that has never been tested is a plan that will fail. OSHA doesn't mandate drill frequency for most general industry employers, but documented drills are your strongest defense against a General Duty Clause citation after an incident. This guide covers how to run a meaningful drill in under two hours.
How you document an incident in the first 24 hours determines how defensible your position is in the weeks that follow. This guide covers the internal reporting chain, OSHA notification deadlines, witness statement protocols, and the preservation of physical evidence.
Big M Management works directly with logistics and warehouse operations to build compliance programs, train teams, and close the gaps before OSHA finds them.