Amazon is facing allegations from federal safety regulators for not adequately protecting warehouse workers from workplace hazards at three of its US facilities. This latest scrutiny from government officials highlights ongoing concerns about the e-commerce giant’s labor practices.
On Wednesday, the Department of Labor announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued hazard letters and citations to Amazon, addressing injury risks associated with lifting packages.
These findings stem from inspections conducted at warehouses in Deltona, Florida; Waukegan, Illinois; and New Windsor, New York.
Doug Parker, assistant secretary of labor at OSHA, commented on the situation, saying, “Each of these inspections found work processes that were designed for speed but not safety, and they resulted in serious worker injuries.”
He further stated, “While Amazon has developed impressive systems to make sure its customers’ orders are shipped efficiently and quickly, the company has failed to show the same level of commitment to protecting the safety and well-being of its workers.”
According to the Department of Labor, OSHA investigators discovered that Amazon warehouse workers face a heightened risk of lower back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders.
These risks are attributed to the frequent lifting of packages, the weight of these packages, the awkward postures required during lifting, and the long hours needed to complete assigned tasks. The agency has proposed penalties totaling $60,269 for Amazon.
In response, an Amazon spokesperson strongly disagreed with OSHA’s findings and announced the company’s intention to appeal. Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, told, “We’ve cooperated fully, and the government’s allegations don’t reflect the reality of safety at our sites.”
Nantel added, “Over the last several months we’ve demonstrated the extent to which we work every day to mitigate risk and protect our people, and our publicly available data show we’ve reduced injury rates nearly 15% between 2019 and 2021.”
Nantel emphasized that Amazon looks forward to presenting further details during the appeal process about the safety innovations, process improvements, and investments the company is making to reduce injuries.
Amazon has implemented several measures to mitigate injury risks, including introducing stretching groups, reminding workers to take breaks, and job rotation.
However, the company is also known for closely monitoring worker productivity, and conditions at its warehouses have been described as “grueling.”
Jennifer Bates, an Amazon warehouse employee who played a role in organizing a union effort at an Alabama facility, testified before the Senate Budget Committee in 2021, stating, “We have to keep up with the pace. My workday feels like a nine-hour intense workout every day. And they track our every move.”
A study released last year by a coalition of labor unions found that the rate of serious injuries at Amazon’s US warehouses in 2021 was double that of other warehouses.
Amazon, at that time, attributed the increased injury rate to the need for extensive training of new hires to meet heightened demand early in the pandemic.
