Current:Home > InvestNovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Behind your speedy Amazon delivery are serious hazards for workers, government finds -Aspire Money Growth
NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Behind your speedy Amazon delivery are serious hazards for workers, government finds
NovaQuant View
Date:2025-04-11 02:52:11
Federal safety inspectors have NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Centerconcluded that the twisting, bending and long reaches that Amazon warehouse workers perform as much as nine times per minute put them at high risk for lower back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders and constitute an unacceptable hazard.
As part of a larger investigation into hazardous working conditions, the Occupational Safety and and Health Administration announced on Wednesday it has cited Amazon for failing to keep workers safe at warehouses in Deltona, Florida; Waukegan, Illinois; and New Windsor, New York.
"While Amazon has developed impressive systems to make sure its customers' orders are shipped efficiently and quickly, the company has failed to show the same level of commitment to protecting the safety and wellbeing of its workers," said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker.
The e-commerce giant faces a total of $60,269 in proposed penalties, the maximum allowable for a violation of the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards.
Amazon has 15 days to contest OSHA's findings.
"We take the safety and health of our employees very seriously, and we strongly disagree with these allegations and intend to appeal," said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel in a statement.
"Our publicly available data show we've reduced injury rates nearly 15% between 2019 and 2021," Nantel added. "What's more, the vast majority of our employees tell us they feel our workplace is safe."
Parker noted that willful or repeated violations by an employer can lead to higher penalties. He said that there are no ergonomic-related violations in Amazon's history that put the company on track for the "severe violator program," but with further inspections, that could change.
In December, OSHA cited Amazon for more than a dozen recordkeeping violations, including failing to report injuries, as part of the same investigation.
Inspectors compared DART rates — days away from work, job restrictions or transfers — across the warehouse industry and at Amazon facilities, and found the rates were unusually high at the three Amazon warehouses.
At the Amazon fulfillment center in Waukegan, Illinois, where workers handle packages in excess of 50 pounds, the DART rate was nearly double the DART rate for the industry in general, and at the Amazon facilities in New York and Florida, it was triple.
The DART rate for the industry in general was 4.7 injuries per 100 workers per year in 2021, Parker said.
Inspectors also found that workers are at risk of being struck by falling materials unsafely stored at heights of 30 feet or higher at the Florida facility.
Should the government prevail, Amazon would be required not only to pay the fines but also to correct the violations, which Parker noted, could result in significant investments in re-engineering their processes to provide workers with a safer working environment.
Editor's note: Amazon is among NPR's recent financial supporters.
veryGood! (72)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Storm Elias crashes into a Greek city, filling homes with mud and knocking out power
- Ghost guns found at licensed day care: Police
- An explosion following a lightning strike in the Uzbek capital kills 1 person and injures 162
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- 5 UAW members hit by vehicle in Michigan while striking
- United Airlines will make changes for people with wheelchairs after a government investigation
- Man who accosted former Rep. Lee Zeldin at campaign stop pleads guilty in federal case
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian's Second Sustainable Boohoo Collection Is Here!
Ranking
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony live this year, with Elton John and Chris Stapleton performing
- Famous 'Sycamore Gap tree' found cut down overnight; teen arrested
- Watch the joyous energy between this jumping baby goat and adorable little girl
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Hollywood actors to resume negotiations with studios on Monday as writers strike ends
- Court rejects Donald Trump’s bid to delay trial in wake of fraud ruling that threatens his business
- Shelters for migrants are filling up across Germany as attitudes toward the newcomers harden
Recommendation
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Chinese immigrant workers sue over forced labor at illegal marijuana operation on Navajo land
Storm Elias crashes into a Greek city, filling homes with mud and knocking out power
Why Mick Jagger Might Leave His $500 Million Music Catalog to Charity Instead of His Kids
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
House Republicans make their case for President Biden impeachment inquiry at first hearing
Why are Kim and Kourtney fighting? 'Kardashians' Season 4 returns with nasty sister spat
UAW VP says Stellantis proposals mean job losses; top executive says they won't