Amazon hacked with an extraordinary strength safe quote by federal investigators in America today. The findings seem to reinforce what some workers at the company have long alleged: that the online retail giant’s warehouses and fulfillment facilities are designed to speed up safety, causing damage lower back injury and other musculoskeletal disorders at a high rate.
The release quote by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration today concluded that Amazon “does not guarantee worker safety”. The agency claimed that the company failed to properly protect them from hazards that could potentially cause “serious physical harm”. Despite years of accusations from workers and state investigations into Amazon’s injury rates, today’s action resulted in Amazon’s first federal fine for musculoskeletal injuries. core.
“Citations are really important,” says Debbie Berkowitz, a former OSHA senior advisor and graduate student in occupational safety at Georgetown University. She said the investigation was unusually large for OSHA and it was the first by the agency to require Amazon to implement basic ergonomic principles to prevent injury. The same investigation caused OSHA in December to cite Amazon for failing to record and report injuries and illnesses on the job.
Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said the company intends to appeal the agency’s findings. “We have cooperated fully and the government allegations do not reflect the reality of safety at our locations,” she said. “The vast majority of our employees tell us they feel our workplace is safe.” Nantel said the federal government does not provide specific guidance on ergonomics and that Amazon has invested significant time and money in reducing musculoskeletal risks, citing Amazon data showing injury rates fell by nearly 15% from 2019 to 2021.
OSHA’s findings today echo research from a union of labor unions based on the agency’s past injury data. that conclusion Amazon’s warehouse loss rate is typically at least twice that of Walmart, its closest competitor in terms of size and scope. During the 2022 holiday, warehouse workers described for WIRED their personal battles with overwork burnout, wrist injuries, loud noises, and high-speed productivity expectations.
The severity of the conviction in the new federal citation does not match the punishment. If Amazon loses the planned lawsuit, it will have to pay a proposed fine of $60.269 — a negligible amount compared to its nearly $1 trillion market cap.
OSHA fines for very specific, repetitive, and serious violations can run into the millions of dollars. Oil company BP has faced multiple fines of more than $10 million for violations related to oil spills and refinery accidents. But the maximum fines for the types of safety violations that can cause a back injury, fracture or sprain are much lower, creating little financial incentive for companies to change. “Oscar fines have historically been extremely low, but I believe the company received the highest possible fine for every violation raised,” said Georgetown’s Berkowitz.
OSHA often tries to convince companies like Amazon to prevent future injuries through detailed test letters that include suggestions for improving injury procedures. “Dangerous” letters Sent January 17 to three Amazon locations that OSHA examined during this investigation, in Deltona, Florida; Waukegan, Illinois; and New Windsor, New York.
A letter to the Waukegan facility describes more than 20 sprains, fractures, bruises and lacerations in the feet, arms, face and other body parts caused by workers losing control of packages. weighs more than 50 pounds.
