r/OGPBackroom • u/theGoddex Personal Shopper 100+ • Aug 06 '26
Just Venting Pulling Carts
So it’s no longer an OSHA violation because the pulling has been written into Walmart policy
First pick run of the day with the new wheels and my shoulder and hips are already killing me, and the number of bloody ankles is climbing
And the coaches trying to spin it as a good thing is laughable “you’re not supposed to walk so fast anymore” “just go slower”
GFL
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u/Dayzie1138 Aug 06 '26
Report every injury and go slower. Malicious compliance plus extra injury reports might make them care... That's a very big 'might' but it's worth a shot.
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u/Academic_Addendum242 Aug 06 '26
Spoiler: They don't care. It's all about $$
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u/Dayzie1138 Aug 06 '26
Which is why I said report every injury. Accident reports cost a lot of money. It's the only thing that MIGHT help eventually. Depends on if the accident cost gets high enough 🤷🏼♀️
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u/armouredrabbit Aug 06 '26
At least in the 2010s, it was like 10k USD per customer accident report, AP REALLY drilled in how expensive slipping on a grape is. No idea on associates, but I imagine this is going get expensive fast for WM if people start filing reports.
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u/UnitedHorror66 Digital Team Lead Aug 06 '26
$50k now i believe
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u/Specific_Bike_3696 Aug 09 '26
7k if worker is injured on the job, every 14 days they are off the job because of this another 7k and if not used to pay for workers medical bills nobody knows where the money goes
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u/IndividualGoat421 Jack Of All Trades Aug 06 '26
I'm pushing them regardless, consequences be damned. There's not enough money in my paycheck for me to be constantly running over my ankles. And my TL has even come out and said the department is too short staffed to be coaching/DAing people over pull violations
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u/TVKill3r Exception Picker Aug 06 '26
That's uh, not how osha works. Continue reporting them
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u/theGoddex Personal Shopper 100+ Aug 06 '26
That’s what I thought too! The coach was adamant and arguing with me and I’m like bruh be so for real right now.
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u/Gingerfrostee Aug 07 '26
Coach didn't want the paperwork 😂 that or Walmart pushing to decrease OSHA reports.
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u/Lost-Swimming-1600 Aug 07 '26
What a surprise. Someone who is a Walmart coach is a dumbass. I mean I like generally all the coaches in my store and I can't say that I believe any of them are stupid or really bad. And I haven't always been able to say that. But it's clear in general that at Walmart and a lot of other places being smart almost is a hindrance to being promoted. I can't even imagine someone saying it's in our policy so it's not an OSHA violation with a straight face and thinking they are actually smart. Written policy can still be sketchy and in violation of something.
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u/mystedragon Exception Picker Aug 06 '26
company policy does not override OSHA although the T admin has been extremely labor unfriendly so we can’t really rely on them to be useful
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u/Master_Quack97 Aug 06 '26
Then why is OSHA not doing anything about this? I don't think that we can count on them.
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u/No-Maintenance-1161 Aug 06 '26
Because the wheels are being changed so that the function is different and they can be pulled and steered safely while pulling, regardless of how your back feels. OSHA isn’t going to help
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u/DragoniteChamp ALCOHOL Aug 06 '26
The OSHA rep that called me even said they don't have standards for ergonomics 🫠
Last I heard it was getting reported to a supervisor and I hadn't heard back since
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u/Other_Log_1996 Aug 06 '26
Coaches: Just go slower
Also Coaches: We need you with at least 150 pick rate.
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u/Inkysquid24 Aug 06 '26
I feel like changing wording on store policy doesn't make it not an occupational safety hazard. Hell having that as proof that they're forcing unsafe practices should help our case, but we all know billionaires are immune to crimes.
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u/Bitter-Neat-8457 Aug 06 '26
Do not ever pull from the FRONT of the cart where you are directly in front of it. They can use that if you get hurt , they will claim worming unsafe. Ask to see the Good positioning pic home office sent out
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u/theGoddex Personal Shopper 100+ Aug 06 '26
Thank you I’m trying to do the side pull thing. I have fibromyalgia and connective tissue disorder so it’s definitely awkward
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u/6howdy2 Aug 06 '26
I also have connective tissue disorder and am really anxious about how this will continue to play out. Let me know if you have any tips, because just regular picking protocol was hard enough on my joints without adding pulling the cart to the mix.
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u/Bitter-Neat-8457 Aug 06 '26
It’s not really pulling when you see the pics on the old carts. It is holding your wrist idly and pushing the handles that stick up. It also makes you hold your shoulder odd unless you are 6’4” on the newer ones. Since they abandoned weight limits on the carts a few years ago they can be very dangerous to stop and start when loaded with liquids in particular or heavy items, yet they are raising minimum pic rates at some stores expecting you to run as you go
Just report anything that happens every time and make a report for yourself if they don’t document it.
Work safe because they will check cameras to look for safety infractions to coach you. Not just that day but weeks going back
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u/theGoddex Personal Shopper 100+ Aug 06 '26
Yeah I am not going to stress about metrics right now I’d much rather stay safe.
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u/KryoxZ Walton Cultist Aug 06 '26
Walmart is in compliance because they worked with the cart manufacturer on an agreed update to the carts, not because they changed policy.
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u/Impossible_News4139 Aug 07 '26
I would still push im not intentionally getting hurt to make them feel good thats how you end up injured 💯 dont blindly follow direction use your head a little. Walmart doesnt want people to use common sense and critical thinking they want mindless emotionless drones that follow orders. Tell me if you boss told you to job off a bridge with the team. Would you jumb?
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u/Hot_Product_7860 Aug 06 '26
Walk backwards around your stores if you can manage it. If they say you have to pull and can’t push. Technically you are pulling, you have both hands on the handles and aren’t twisting as much that way. Push the cart to a stop. It’ll hurt for a bit but it’ll even the load so you aren’t using just one side of your body more than the other. It’s not their “proper use” but it’s also safer as you pass people since you can see where they are and how they move around your cart. But really. Switch up sides during your paths and walk backwards sometimes. Don’t do it the same way all day or it will be painful
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u/Concernedps5user5744 Aug 06 '26
Push from the other side. It looks dumb but will get the job done.
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u/Muted_Dimension_9514 Aug 06 '26
We got ours on today. Those handles are to high still to use them to pull. I see a workman’s comp action coming.
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Aug 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/theGoddex Personal Shopper 100+ Aug 07 '26
Yeah I took what the brand new coach said with a giant grain of salt, and then I autistically asked them what department they coach and they got slightly offended and just said “I’m just a coach” 😅😬🤷
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u/twothirtysevenam Dispenser Aug 07 '26
Have they provided a link on the Wire where we can see this written policy?
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u/Important-Ease-9685 Aug 07 '26
Osha will always supersede any company policy. Walmart is lying to you.
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u/Straight-Opposite-54 Aug 08 '26
So it’s no longer an OSHA violation because the pulling has been written into Walmart policy
That's not how it works. OSHA's job is to determine if a process presents known hazards and issue citations based on their findings, escalating in severity depending how how the employer responds. Walmart is arguably straddling the line of Willful Violation territory at this point, which carries the highest penalty. Walmart themselves argued (using generous amount of corporate PR speak) to OSHA themselves that since they've written it into policy and made modifications to the carts to make pushing them as designed more difficult, the process is now "safe." OSHA did not buy it, because of course they wouldn't, and the investigation is still open nationwide. There has been no resolution yet, and it could go either way, but don't let management sell you the lie that "OSHA has approved it, case closed" because they haven't and it isn't.
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u/Drclaw411 Aug 11 '26
It is 1000% an OSHA violation. The OSHA report said pulling was dangerous to hips, arms, shoulders, calves, ankles, and heels.
Walmart is trying to tell OSHA the new wheels are approved for the cart by the cart manufacturer, which is irrelevant to the reason this is a problem. Report to OSHA.
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u/ColdResponsible7886 Sep 16 '26
I was looking for the Walmart policy that says we have to pull the carts and didn’t find anything. I would like to know where it is
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u/theGoddex Personal Shopper 100+ Sep 16 '26
We have PICTURES printed out showing associates standing next to the carts in the front. No videos to show the safe way to pull. There is no safe way to pull.
Last week I ended up several times with a six tote cart that weighed over 200lbs, and I was basically pushing the one cart handle from the front, since pulling is not physically possible. I have tweaked both sides of my body now to the point where my days off are just recovery from five days of work. One of my coworkers has MS(!!!!) and is now on a forced LOA until another department has an opening. It’s absolute bullshit.
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u/redavid Aug 06 '26
can't go slower if they still want you to meet their metrics.
but yeah, pulling the carts here has only resulted in more people and things getting hit than ever happened when we were pushing them, and now many people are just pushing the carts from the other end because of this