Amazon has been linked to many worker injuries as well as labor unions that demand better treatment. This has caused doubt about the retail giant's ability to provide its workers with a safe and fair working environment, given that it has over 38,000 recorded injuries in 2022.
Safety of Amazon Warehouses
The company is said to be responsible for 53% of all recorded serious injuries in US warehouses back in 2022. According to the data from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), injuries sustained in Amazon warehouses were more severe.
Overall, Amazon reported a total of 38,609 recorded injuries in 2022. These recorded injuries, according to the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) were the ones that require the worker to take time off or seek medical attention as opposed to simple first-aid treatment.
95% of the total number of workers suffered injuries that were considered serious or severe since Amazon had given them time off to recover from the injury, or was given a role that would not require them to exert much force.
SOC stated that the injury rate of the retail giants was 6.9 injuries out of 100 workers. Although that was lesser than the previous 7.9 injuries per 100 workers in 2021, the SOC believes that Amazon had failed to make "meaningful progress on worker safety."
The trade union's report also stated that Amazon's failure to provide safe working conditions raises questions about it being "earth's safest place to work," or if it prioritizes profits over the safety of the people who are "responsible for its success."
In 2022, OSHA has investigated four separate incidents in Amazon warehouses that resulted in the death of the worker involved. One employee, Rodger Boland, died after falling from a short ladder, while another was involved in a forklift crash.
The company expressed its condolences to the families of the workers involved in the fatal incidents, saying that the tragic events have affected their teams greatly. According to CNET, Amazon provided resources for employees and families who need them.
Amazon's Response
Amazon claims that the SOC's data on the company's injury rate shared with OSHA was not an official OSHA metric. The retailer said that the metric it uses for the worker's days off were not limited to serious injuries and that some were "relatively minor" ones.
The company stated that the safety and health of their employees will always be their top priority and that anyone who claims otherwise is inaccurate, as mentioned in Engadget. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos dedicated $300 million to improve workplace safety almost two years ago.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Natel expressed that they are aware that there's more work to do. However, the "truth" is outlined in the company's safety report and encourages anyone to tour the facilities and read the safety report.
The said report shows that the company's recorded injury rate in all its networks has dropped over 23%, along with a drop of more than 53% in its lost time injury rate. Natek further expressed that they will continue to work harder to keep getting better.
