Amazon could pay $60,000 to OSHA for safety violations in warehouses

OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, issued a citation to Amazon alleging that Amazon violated safety laws and failed in three warehouses to keep workers safe. The OSHA also proposed penalties for violations of $60,269 – just a drop in the bucket. Recorded sales of more than $127 billion During the third quarter of 2022 AloneHowever, it is a significant penalty when compared with many others faced by OSHA.

According to a press releaseInspections of three warehouses in Deltona, Florida, Waukegan and New Windsor, New York led to the issuance. OSHA says Amazon has “exposed workers ergonomic and harmful hazards on site,” which puts them at “significant danger for low back injury and other musculoskeletal problems.”

Doug Parker, Assistant secretary for Occupational Safety and Health put some of the blame on Amazon’s fast-paced warehouse workers. “Each of these inspections found work procedures designed for speed, not safety,” he said, noting that the system in the warehouses seemed geared toward shipping packages rather than worker safety.

This is a criticism Amazon has faced over the years, including from OSHA itself. The Strategic Organizing Center, an advocacy group, released a report last year that stated that Amazon workers are a file A disproportionately high percentage of all warehouse industry injuriesThe United States. 2019 report from the warehouse buzzfeedAnd ProPublicaThe company charged Trading security for speed in its delivery networkThat was the point. Repeat last year by the SOC.

Coalition of Athens stated that Daniel Olayola was quoted in a statement: Amazon warehouse worker in san antonio“OSHA’s findings reflect the experiences of Amazon workers in warehouses across the nation.” Olayiwola said workers have been “talking about the grueling pace at work, exploitative policies which directly cause overwork, extreme strain on our bodies, unsafe attitudes” for years.

Amazon strongly disagrees with OSHA’s latest allegations. “We take the safety and health of our employees very seriously, and we strongly disagree with these allegations and intend to appeal,” State Department spokesperson Kelly Nantle said in a statement. “We have fully cooperated, but the government’s claims don’t reflect the reality of safety on our sites.” Nantel also claims an improvement in company’s injury rates between 2019, and 2021. This is similar claim to that made by Amazon in response to the 2022 SOC Report. more.”

According to OSHA, Amazon received citations for 14 record-keeping violations last year for “failing to record injuries and illnesses, misclassifying injuries and illnesses, not recording injuries and illnesses in a timely manner, and not providing OSHA with injury and illness records in a timely manner.” with proposed fines of about $29,008 and were part of the same investigation that was announced Wednesday.

Rare to find a regulator on Amazon, but not uncommon. In 2015, the company was cited for not properly recording work-related injuries or illnesses. a bunchFrom covid related quotes2020

OSHA has also stated that it is investigating three other Amazon warehouses in Aurora (Colorado), Nampa (Idaho) and Castleton (New York), after being referred by the Attorney General’s Office of the Southern District.