Warehouse workers experience violence and harassment from supervisors, colleagues, security personnel, delivery drivers and contractors. Women workers, migrant workers and young workers may face heightened risks.
Harassment takes many forms, including verbal abuse, intimidation, bullying or sexual harassment. In hierarchical workplaces where workers depend on supervisors for scheduling or job security, violence, harassment and intimidation often go unreported.
Violence and harassment also occur during night shifts and in isolated work areas where supervision is limited. Workers fear retaliation if they report incidents, particularly where grievance mechanisms are weak or inaccessible.
The risk extends to the journey to work. Under ILO Convention 190, an employer's responsibility for worker safety reaches the commute. Warehouses are rarely accessible by public transport, and operations frequently run 24 hours a day, so workers commute at off-peak hours and at night – journeys women feel particularly unsafe making.
Workplace violence has serious psychological and physical consequences, including stress, trauma and reduced job satisfaction.
For more on violence and harassment, see the Risks Across Transport guidance.