Amazon Warehouse Employees Got 80% More Injuries Than Competitors

The working staff members of the United States-based firm Amazon have recently been reported to have a higher rate of injuries suffered by the employees at warehouses, as compared to those individuals working in a similar job but at other firm’s warehouses.

A union-backed research study regarding the safety data has been able to find out that the workers of Amazon had suffered from 5.9 critical injuries per 100 employees, which is almost 80% higher than the rest of the industry. The organizers of this study have blamed the obsession with the fast and speedy work of Amazon as the main reason for the increased rate of serious injuries.

Increased frequency of injuries

This study is the latest report in a string of multiple controversies around the safety of the workers hired by Amazon to work in their warehouses.

Earlier in the year 2021, Amazon has given a public statement apologizing for the false denial that some of their truck drivers are forced to urinate inside plastic bottles while they are on duty to save time. Another one of their denied accusations includes that the employees working both in either the warehouses or are on driving routes are put under extreme time pressure, due to which they are unable to use bathrooms.

During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the previous year, Amazon has been accused of cutting corners in safety against COVID-19 infection, which was also immediately declined by the firm.

Injuries Epidemic

According to the recently conducted study by the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), which is an alliance of labor unions. They have been able to make a thorough analysis of the safety data which was reported to the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration from the year 2017 to 2020.

They have been able to find out that the employees working at the warehouses of Amazon suffered from more severe injuries with increased frequency, as compared to workers at non-Amazon warehouses. The employees at Amazon are forced to take some time off from their job to treat their critical injuries and have been found to be absent for an average number of 46.3 days, which is almost a week-long than the average throughout the warehouse industry.

When compared with the largest competitor in retail, Walmart, the overall rate of injury at Amazon has been observed to be double in the amount at 6.5 per 100 workers compared within three, including non-Amazon warehouse workers and all employees.

An analysis has been conducted independently by taking the same data, which also reached similar conclusive results. This report has been characterized by the SOC as an ‘epidemic of workplace injuries.

It has been stated by Amazon that they have made an investment of more than $ 1 billion in the safety of the workplace in the previous year and helped by further growing their safety teams up to 6,200 individuals.

A spokesperson from Amazon said that while many of the incidents are one too many, the firm is in the process of continuous learning and observing improvements through the programs of ergonomics, along with guided exercise at the workstations of employees, assistance in mechanical equipment, design and setup of workstations, and guardrails and forklift telematics.

It has also been pointed out by Amazon regarding their working well, which is a well-being program and has been highlighted by the boss of Amazon Jeff Bezos in his recent letter to shareholders of the firm, which states that we are committed to working on the reduction in the frequency of injuries caused in the workplace.

As some of the positions at the job require the employees to walk more than 13 miles in a single day or to lift 9,072 kilograms before they complete the allotted time of their shift. The pamphlet from a Tulsa warehouse has offered various tips for the fitness and health of the warehouse workers. They encourage the employees to work out on their days off, a healthy diet that incorporates enough nutrition to fuel them as they burn around 400 calories per hour, which is even expected by the firm. One of the tips included in the pamphlet was to buy appropriate comfortable footwear as the feet tend to become swollen from the active workplace environment inside the warehouses.

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