Quick answer: Warehouse and distribution center workers in California are covered by workers’ compensation for injuries from lifting, forklifts, conveyors, falls and repetitive motion, including temp and staffing agency workers. Report the injury within 30 days, ask for a DWC-1 claim form, and file within one year. Our Ontario office represents warehouse workers across the Inland Empire.
The Inland Empire has one of the highest concentrations of warehouse and fulfillment jobs in the country, and warehouse work has one of the highest injury rates of any industry. Fast pick rates, heavy lifting, long shifts on concrete floors and constant equipment traffic wear workers down, and many injuries develop gradually rather than in a single accident.
Injuries We See From Warehouse Work
- Lumbar strains, herniated discs and other back and neck injuries
- Shoulder injuries, including rotator cuff tears, from overhead reaching and lifting
- Carpal tunnel, trigger finger and tendonitis from scanning, packing and taping
- Knee and foot injuries from standing and walking full shifts
- Forklift and pallet jack collisions, tip-overs and crush injuries
- Falls from racking, ladders, mezzanines and trailers
- Injuries from falling merchandise and conveyor entanglement
- Heat illness in poorly ventilated buildings
Production Quotas and Your Injury
California’s warehouse quota law, AB 701, applies to large warehouse distribution employers. It requires employers to disclose the quotas you are expected to meet, and it prohibits quotas that prevent you from taking meal and rest breaks or using the bathroom. If a quota pushed you to work in a way that caused your injury, that history can support the work-related nature of the claim. Quota records, rate reports and scanner data are evidence worth preserving.
Cumulative Trauma Claims
Many warehouse injuries are cumulative trauma claims, meaning the injury developed over weeks or months of repetitive work. The date of injury is when you first suffered disability and knew, or should have known, that work caused it. These claims are frequently disputed because insurers argue the condition is age-related. A well-prepared evaluation by a Qualified Medical Evaluator often decides the case. See overexertion injuries and repetitive motion injuries.
Staffing Agency and Seasonal Workers
Seasonal, part-time and staffing agency workers have the same right to workers’ compensation as permanent employees. Immigration status does not bar benefits in California. If you were placed by an agency, report the injury to both the agency and the warehouse supervisor, and keep the names of both companies.
Retaliation Is Illegal
Labor Code Section 132a prohibits an employer from firing, demoting or disciplining you for reporting an injury or filing a claim. If your hours were cut or you were terminated after reporting, see can you be fired for filing a workers’ comp claim.
Benefits Available
Workers’ comp pays for medical treatment, temporary disability for lost wages, permanent disability if you are left with lasting limitations, and a $6,000 retraining voucher if you cannot return to your job. Learn more about workers’ compensation benefits in California or contact our Ontario office.
Talk to a Certified Specialist at No Cost
Dennis A. Dascanio is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in workers’ compensation law and has represented injured workers since 1987. Consultations are free, and attorney fees are approved by the judge and paid only from benefits recovered. Call the office nearest you: Santa Ana 714-550-7002, Ontario 909-460-6900, or San Diego 619-338-8399. Se habla español.
This page provides general information, not legal advice for your situation. Every claim depends on its own facts.