Synopsis-
“The U.S. workplace safety regulator, workers at one of Amazon’s struggling warehouses have been exposed to unsafe conditions due to the company’s imposition of demanding production targets and inadequate medical care.”
Amazon warehouse employees have been voicing concerns about unsafe working conditions and the high risk of injury due to the pressure of fulfilling orders quickly for delivery within two days.
The safety record of the company was scrutinized again amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. These concerns triggered union campaigns in warehouses across the nation, including one in New York City, where workers voted to form a union last year.
In a recent event, as per the U.S. workplace safety regulator, workers at one of Amazon’s struggling warehouses have been exposed to unsafe conditions due to the company’s imposition of demanding production targets and inadequate medical care.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Thursday said, “workers at the Logan Township, New Jersey, warehouse suffered bodily stress that was causing muscular disorders and neck and back injuries. And Amazon failed to ensure that injured employees received adequate treatment.”
According to OSHA, the maximum fine of $15,625 has been recommended, which Amazon has 15 days to either pay or appeal to a review board as per U.S. law. OSHA has imposed fines of approximately $150,000 on Amazon since January, alleging unsafe work conditions or a failure to record work-related injuries in multiple warehouses across the country.
For a while now, critics of Amazon have been accusing the company of prioritizing profit over safety. They claim that the company forces their employees to work at an unsafe pace and skip breaks in order to meet high quotas.
On Thursday, a worker advocacy group reported that a complaint had been filed with OSHA by Amazon warehouse employees in St. Louis, Missouri. Allegedly, the company enforces dangerous work quotas and the medical staff mistreats the workers.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. The company has said that it invests millions of dollars in worker safety and has cooperated with OSHA’s nationwide investigation.
