New York Passes Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act

Under the recently passed Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act, covered New York employers must establish and implement an injury reduction program designed to identify and minimize the risks of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders among workers involved in performing manual materials handling tasks. The program must include: worksite evaluation; control of exposures, including pace, which have caused or have the potential to cause musculoskeletal injuries and disorders; employee training; on-site medical and first aid practices; and employee involvement.

Covered employers are those with 100 or more employees at a single warehouse distribution center or 1,000 or more employees at one or more warehouse distribution centers in the state.

The law is generally effective beginning June 1, 2025. There are a few pieces of the law with different effective dates, as follows:

• Effective February 19, 2025:
  • Employers must provide injury reduction training to all employees involved in performing manual materials handling jobs and tasks at the warehouse during normal work hours and without a loss of pay. Such training must be provided in a language and vocabulary that the workers understand and shall be repeated annually, and must also be provided to supervisors. The training must include:
    • The early symptoms of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders and the importance of early detection;
    • Musculoskeletal injury and disorder risk factors and exposures at work, including the hazards posed by excessive rates of work;
    • Methods to reduce risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, including both engineering controls and administrative controls, such as limitations on work pace and increased scheduled and unscheduled breaks;
    • The employer’s program to identify risk factors as required under this section and prevent musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, including the summary protocols for medical treatment approved by the employer’s medical consultant;
    • The rights and function of workplace safety committees and the rights of employees to report any risk factors, other hazards, injuries or health and safety concerns; and
    • Training on the unlawful retaliation of any provision in this section, including the disciplinary actions required when supervisors or managers violate the law or policy, as well as the employer’s policy prohibiting any workplace discrimination.
  • Any on-site medical office or first aid station that sees workers in warehouses with symptoms of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders must be staffed with medical professionals operating within their legal scope of practice.

• Effective June 19, 2025, an initial worksite evaluation must be conducted. Worksite evaluations must be reviewed and updated at least annually. A new analysis of risk factors must be conducted whenever a new job, process, or operation is introduced which could increase the risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries and disorders. Such new analysis must be conducted within thirty days of the creation or change of a job, process or operation.

You can access the full text of the law here.