The types of injuries that have been reported in the Amazon workplace safety crisis are more nuanced than has been reported before.
Federal workplace safety data shows that Amazon workers are twice as likely as other warehouse employees to suffer a serious injury on the job.
The majority of the injury disparity between Amazon and other warehouse employers is the result of a concentration of musculoskeletal disorders at Amazon warehouses. Musculoskeletal disorders, like carpal tunnel, back pain, and hernias, are the result of accumulated damage to muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage, and spine.
Amazon warehouse workers in Washington state were 3.85 times more likely to suffer a musculoskeletal injury compared to their peers in the state's warehouse sector, according to an analysis by the state. Amazon workers were 1.2 times more likely to get a non-musculoskeletal injury than workers in non-Amazon warehouses.
Washington state's Department of Labor and Industries found in four separate Amazon workplace safety citations that the company has a very high pace of work.
To meet the promise of two-day delivery, the high pace of work is pretty consistent throughout the facility, according to Richard Goggins, who has inspected multiple Amazon warehouses.
The most severe workplace safety violation in Amazon's history was issued this month. The violation was classified as willful, signaling that regulators believe that Amazon is violating federal law or employee safety. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment, but the company said it disagreed with the findings and would appeal the citation.
Goggins said that there areMusculoskeletal injuries. They are slow to heal and develop. Unlike a fall or an amputation, there isn't a single incident that results in injury to the joints, meaning some workers may be slow to recognize that they are hurt.
You have to heal up to get on with your life, but you have to get up to where the exposure doesn't cause reinjury, Goggins said.
Last year, Amazon said it would reduce workplace injuries by 50%. Stretching before shifts, mandatory ergonomics training, and rotating workers between roles to reduce fatigue are all part of the company's plan to tackle injuries. Amazon spent $300 million last year on safety initiatives, the company has said, and it has established a five-year, $12 million partnership with the National Safety Council to research new ways of preventing musculoskeletal disorders.
Amazon said in a safety report that it is committed to leading the way to proactively manage and prevent work related MSDs by drawing on its expertise in innovation and technology and by collaborating with proven thought leaders and scientists. According to a report, Amazon has a special focus on reducing the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders among new warehouse employees, as well as workers who have been at the company for less than six months.
Amazon does not plan to reduce its pace of work.
Heather MacDougall, Amazon's vice president of workplace safety, said last year that safety and performance targets can go hand in hand.
Regulators say that Amazon won't meaningfully address its injuries until it allows workers to move more slowly.
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