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The Business Impact of Safety Gaps in Distribution Operations

Learn how leading distribution organizations address safety gaps that disrupt throughput, labor and execution to build more resilient operations.

by Cheryl Falk

Identify safety risks

June is National Safety Month, an annual observance led by the National Safety Council to promote safer workplaces.1 For distribution leaders, it’s also a reminder that the conditions creating safety risk are the same ones disrupting throughput, labor and execution. In many facilities, those issues can create pressure before they result in an injury or disruption.

In this blog, learn why leading organizations are looking at safety as part of a broader strategy for resilience and long-term performance.

warehouse workers performing manual tasks without automation

Safety risks reveal deeper issues

Recurring safety issues are signs of deeper facility challenges. In many distribution environments, the same conditions creating risk are also contributing to workflow and productivity challenges, such as:

  • Forklift traffic in pedestrian zones
  • Awkward reaches driven by poor slotting
  • Repetitive lifting during loading and unloading
  • Excessive employee travel caused by inefficient layout
  • Equipment failures that trigger manual workarounds
  • Workers operating without clear system-driven priorities
  • Congestion at dock doors, pack stations or staging lanes

If left unresolved, these conditions can create growing pressure across the facility, making consistent performance harder to sustain.

How safety gaps disrupt performance

1. Congestion reduces throughput
Poor traffic flow creates lost capacity every day. When forklift routes overlap with pedestrian traffic or staging areas become congested, operations slow down in ways that are difficult to identify in standard reporting. This can lead to slower replenishment and more touches per order.

2. Labor strain limits output
When work depends on excessive walking, awkward lifting, repetitive motion or constant workarounds, productivity declines over time. This can lead to increased absenteeism and higher overtime needs.

3. Manual processes create variability
Processes such as truck loading and unloading are physically demanding and dependent on manual labor. These workflows are harder to scale and can become unstable quickly, leading to inconsistent productivity, higher damage rates and more disruption during peak periods.

Rethinking forklifts in modern distribution

Forklifts remain important in many distribution environments. However, in many facilities, they’re still being used to move material because surrounding workflows have never been redesigned or optimized. In those cases, forklifts are compensating for inefficient layouts and workflow design.

National Forklift Safety Day, observed each June, is a reminder that forklift safety extends beyond operator training. It also requires evaluating how movement is managed across the operation. That matters because forklift-related accidents continue to be a leading source of workplace injuries. OSHA industry data estimates that roughly 85 fatalities and 34,900 serious injuries occur each year in the U.S. due to forklifts,2 with an estimated 70% of accidents being preventable with standard safety measures.3

Many of these incidents involve pedestrians in high-traffic areas, reinforcing the need to ask why certain travel paths exist in the first place. Is it driven by layout constraints or system limitations? Can it be reduced or eliminated through better design and automation?

When companies redesign workflows with safety and efficiency in mind, forklifts shift from being the primary solution to part of a more intentional operational strategy.

85

fatalities each year2

34,900

serious injuries each year2

70%

preventable accidents each year3

How to identify risk early

  • Leading distribution organizations identify problems before they disrupt performance. That starts with understanding how work is happening on the floor.
  • Leaders look for areas where product movement slows down, when employees rely on workarounds or when congestion becomes difficult to manage. They also track near misses and workflow irregularities as early warning signs of larger issues.
  • Employee feedback also plays an important role. Workers recognize inefficiencies and safety concerns before they appear in performance reports.
  • More organizations are now using simulation and real-time execution systems to improve visibility across the facility and identify issues earlier. This is where safety shifts from compliance to operational insight.
Autonomous mobile robots operating in an automated warehouse - FORTNA

How automation solves operational challenges

Many automation projects start with equipment decisions. A better starting point is identifying where manual processes are creating the most pressure across the operation.

Where is the work physically demanding, repetitive or difficult to staff? Where are delays tied to extra handling? Where are employees spending time on non-value-added activities? These are areas where automation can deliver the greatest impact.

The 2026 MHI Annual Industry Report discusses how safety, workforce challenges and operational risk are becoming more important in technology investment decisions. The report highlights a manufacturer that implemented robotic truck unloading and saw a 42% reduction in turnover in inbound operations, along with improved safety and lower costs compared to the previous manual approach.4 As a result, more organizations are evaluating robotics and automation strategies to reduce manual strain and improve execution across the operation.

In this case, the technology did more than automate a labor-intensive task. It improved working conditions and created more stable workflows. Organizations that invest in automation recognize that safer, more reliable processes help support long-term operational resilience.

Five questions leadership teams should be asking now

As organizations recognize National Safety Month, it’s a good time for leadership teams to reassess where daily workflows may be creating unnecessary risk. In summary, these are the key questions leaders should be asking:

  1. Where are employees relying on manual workarounds?
  2. Which processes create the most physical strain?
  3. Where is congestion slowing performance?
  4. Which areas become difficult to manage during peak periods?
  5. Are current systems helping employees work safely and efficiently?

The strongest distribution operations recognize that safety gaps can create broader business challenges. Organizations that address risk early are better positioned to support consistent execution, workforce stability and long-term resilience.

FORTNA Can Help

As a system integrator, FORTNA takes a consultative approach to address the underlying challenges creating risk across distribution centers. From assessing current workflows to implementing right-fit solutions, FORTNA helps simplify complexity through practical, phased improvements that create safer, more reliable operations.

Schedule a Warehouse Assessment
<sup>1</sup> <a href="https://www.nsc.org/workplace/national-safety-month">https://www.nsc.org/workplace/national-safety-month</a><br /> <sup>2</sup> <a href="https://forklifttrainingsystems.com/osha/">https://forklifttrainingsystems.com/osha/</a><br /> <sup>3</sup> <a href="https://www.osha.com/blog/5-most-common-forklift-accidents-and-how-to-prevent-them">https://www.osha.com/blog/5-most-common-forklift-accidents-and-how-to-prevent-them</a><br /> <sup>4</sup> <a href="https://www.mhi.org/annual-industry-reports">https://www.mhi.org/annual-industry-reports</a>

About the author

photo-of-cheryl-falk-senior-vice-president-marketing-and-business-development

Cheryl Falk

Sr. Vice President, Marketing & Business Development

Cheryl Falk is Senior Vice President, Marketing & Business Development at FORTNA. She leads strategic initiatives that drive global revenue growth in a dynamic and complex business landscape. Leveraging a keen understanding of next generation technologies and emerging trends, she engages C-level executives with thought leadership to assist in achieving business outcomes.