Federal safety inspectors have found that workers at Amazon warehouses in Waukegan and two other cities are at “high risk” of lower back injuries and other health problems because of work rules “designed for speed but not safety.”
It is the second time in two months that the three warehouses have been cited for safety-related violations.
In the latest case, investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said they reviewed on-site injury logs and discovered that Amazon warehouse workers “experienced high rates of musculoskeletal disorders.”
The agency blamed “the high frequency with which workers are required to lift packages and other items; the heavy weight of the items; awkward postures, such as twisting, bending and long reaches while lifting; and long hours required to complete assigned tasks.”
In a hazard alert letter to the Amazon manager at the Waukegan warehouse, OSHA recommended that the company ”voluntarily take the necessary steps to eliminate, or materially reduce, any future employee exposure to the potential hazards described above.”
Letters also went out to warehouses in Deltona, Fla., and New Windsor, N.Y. Amazon faces a total of $60,269 in proposed penalties for the alleged violations at the three places.
“Each of these inspections found work processes that were designed for speed but not safety, and they resulted in serious worker injuries,” said Doug Parker, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. “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 well-being of its workers.”
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company takes “the safety and health of our employees very seriously, and we strongly disagree with these allegations and intend to appeal.”
Nantel said the company’s “publicly available data” show that Amazon reduced injury rates nearly 15% between 2019 and 2021.
“The government’s allegations don’t reflect the reality of safety at our sites,” Nantel said. “We look forward to sharing more during our appeal about the numerous safety innovations, process improvements, and investments we’re making to further reduce injuries.”
Last month, OSHA cited the warehouses in Waukegan, Deltona and New Windsor, as well as warehouses in three other cities, for failing to properly record work-related injuries and illnesses.
The agency found that managers at those warehouses failed to record injuries and illnesses; misclassified injuries and illnesses; failed to record injuries and illnesses within the required time; and failed to provide OSHA with timely injury and illness records.
The Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of labor unions, released a statement Wednesday calling on Amazon “to drop its relentless resistance to OSHA’s orders to fix these hazards.”
“Amazon should start by immediately suspending its inhuman monitoring and discipline system that OSHA has directly connected to the high rates of warehouse injuries, and give Amazon workers the relief breaks OSHA has said they urgently need to protect themselves from injury,” said Eric Frumin, health and safety director at the center.
Nearly two years ago, six Amazon workers died when a tornado struck a warehouse in downstate Edwardsville. A lawsuit filed by the family of one of the victims alleges the company put workers at risk by ignoring severe weather warnings and insisting they work until minutes before the tornado hit on Dec. 10, 2021.
