image credit: Amazon .com
The US Senate found that Amazon warehouses are especially risky during Prime Day and the holidays.
Prime Day, scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday this week, is “a major cause of injuries for the warehouse workers who make it possible,” according to a report released Monday by Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions chair Bernie Sanders. The audit cited “the extremely unsafe conditions in Amazon warehouses” during the two busiest periods and urged the corporation to protect warehouse workers.
The committee’s investigation revealed that Amazon (AMZN) Prime Day and the holiday season are characterized by “extremely high volume” and “intense pressure to work long hours and disregard safety guidelines.”
The report discloses the company’s warehouse injury rate data. Amazon must report “recordable” injuries to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and those during Prime Day 2019 surpassed 10 per 100 workers, more than double the US warehouse and storage industry average.
The audit said Amazon’s total injury rate, including injuries it does not have to report to OSHA, was just under 45 per 100 workers.
The Amazon.com Inc. distribution center will open in Bretigny-sur-Orge, France, on Nov. 25, 2022. In the “Make Amazon Pay.” campaign, Amazon workers in the US, UK, India, Japan, Australia, South Africa, and Europe are seeking higher salaries and working conditions as the cost-of-living problem worsens.
Amazon ranks French warehouse workers second, despite high revenue and resources for worker safety. Regulator find injury rates particularly concerning.
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