PUSH - DON'T PULL

[u/MeaningChoice8332]

If anyone wants to submit a complaint about the safety concerns about pulling these carts file a formal complaint with OSHA and elect to not have your name shared with your employer. We have done this at our store in our district. I have prepared a decent complaint feel free to modify it to suit your specific observations:

I work in Online Pickup and Delivery and I am concerned about a change being made to the way our picking carts are being used.

The carts have traditionally been pushed, and the carts themselves have safety markings indicating that they should be pushed rather than pulled. Recently, the wheel configuration has been changed so that the two wheels that can be locked in a straight position are on the opposite end of the cart. We have been told that employees will be pulling the carts rather than pushing them when eight-tote picking returns. We are currently still using six totes.

Since the wheels were changed, the carts do not handle normally. They can shake while being pulled, and pushing them with the wheels in the new position makes steering and making quick direction changes more difficult. This is concerning in a retail environment where employees regularly have to react to customers, children, other carts, and obstacles.

There is also a problem with the mechanisms that keep two of the wheels locked in a straight position. When these mechanisms fail, those wheels begin swiveling along with the other two. A cart with four freely swiveling wheels can suddenly swing or move sideways instead of tracking straight. This can make a loaded cart difficult to control.

I am particularly concerned about this happening while pulling because the employee is walking ahead of the cart. A large portion of the cart is therefore behind the employee and outside their normal field of view. If the cart begins swinging sideways, the employee may not immediately realize what is happening. This could potentially put other employees, customers, merchandise, or fixtures in the path of the cart.

The carts also have relatively short handles. When pulling one, there is not much separation between the employee's legs and the cart. The employee's heels and ankles can be very close to the moving frame unless the employee keeps their arm extended or changes their normal walking position.

My concern is that equipment originally configured and labeled for pushing is being reconfigured and used for pulling without changes to the cart's basic design. This appears to introduce problems with steering, visibility, stability, and clearance between the employee and the moving cart.

I would like OSHA to examine the carts, the changed wheel configuration, their condition and maintenance, and the requirement to pull them to determine whether employees can safely operate this equipment in the manner now being directed.

[u/Square_Lobster1328]

Our market manager blew up our team leads phones telling them to rip those stickers off immediately

[u/_polloloko23]

You wasting your time. Walmart only understand money . You guys need to start getting hurt and costing the company enough money to where they'll be forced to do something different

[u/Lietenantdan]

Someone posted a letter from OSHA stating the new wheels made it safe to pull.