Every year, 1 in 11 New Yorkers working in a warehouse suffer an injury requiring medical attention, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Reports with numbers like these are fueling workers in their fight for better working conditions.

“I’m actually surprised it’s not higher than that,” said Mitch Israel, a warehouse worker on Staten Island. “The fact is that every single day, I see somebody put in an unsafe position.”

A couple weeks ago, Israel experienced a close call of his own.

“Almost 300 pounds of boxes fell on me that were on a pallet,” he recalled. “Because a new hire wasn’t trained to properly secure it.”

The injury rate among warehouse workers in New York state is 54% higher than the national average, according to the BLS, with most injuries involving sprains, strains and tears.

“The price of having a job tomorrow should not be breaking your back today,” Israel said.

The rate of warehouse worker injuries in the state more than doubled between 2017 and 2022.

The data has gained the attention of some state lawmakers, who are calling for a warehouse worker injury-reduction program.

“Actual standards set in place for how they have to treat us,” Israel said. “That way, we can then as the workers hold them accountable.”

Israel calls the measure a critical one for which he will advocate.

“Every worker deserves to know that they’re going to go home at night safe, uninjured and being able to do what they’ve got to do at home,” he said.