We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » OSHA flags Amazon for failing to record all workplace injuries

OSHA flags Amazon for failing to record all workplace injuries

Department of Labor announces ongoing investigation of practices at Amazon DCs in Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, and New York.

amazon associate-wearing-ppe-4.jpeg
December 16, 2022
Ben Ames
No Comments

The mega-retailer Amazon.com has been cited by federal inspectors for failing to properly record some work-related injuries and illnesses at six separate warehouse facilities, the U.S. Department of Labor said today.

The charges are part of ongoing investigations in five states, including Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, and New York, according to the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Investigators launched a series of inspections in July, following referrals from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. To date, they have discovered violations at sites in: Deltona, Florida; Waukegan, Illinois; New Windsor, New York; Aurora, Colorado; Nampa, Idaho; and Castleton, New York.

Specifically, OSHA issued Amazon citations for 14 record-keeping violations, including failing to record some injuries and illnesses, misclassifying some injuries and illnesses, not recording some injuries and illnesses within the required time, and not providing OSHA with some timely injury and illness records.

“Solving health and safety problems in the workplace requires injury and illness records to be accurate and transparent,” Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker said in a release. “Our concern is that nothing will be done to keep an injury from recurring if it isn’t even recorded in the logbook which – in a company the size of Amazon – could have significant consequences for a large number of workers.”

In reply, Amazon acknowledged that it might have made some administrative errors, but noted that OSHA itself had categorized each of the charges as “other than serious.”

“The safety of our employees is our top priority, and we invest hundreds of millions of dollars every year into ensuring we have a robust safety program to protect them. Accurate recordkeeping is a critical element of that program and while we acknowledge there might have been a small number of administrative errors over the years, we are confident in the numbers we’ve reported to the government,” Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, said in an email. “We are reviewing OSHA’s allegations and are pleased that OSHA acknowledged that all of the alleged violations are ‘other than serious’ and involve minor infractions.”

Despite the number of violations, Amazon is unlikely to face a significant punishment. OSHA has proposed a penalty of $29,008, while the Seattle-based company declared a 2021 net income of $33.4 billion on net sales of $469.8 billion.

However, the findings may give more leverage to labor groups, who have argued for years that Amazon employees suffer injuries at greater rates than the industry average, saying the company pushes its workers too hard to fulfill orders in its automated warehouses. Those same concerns helped motivate Amazon workers in April to create the first union of company workers, in a vote at a fulfilment center on Staten Island, New York. The Amazon Labor Union says its demands include “better pay, better benefits, and better working conditions.”

Editor's note: This story was revised on December 16 to include Amazon’s response.


 

 

Material Handling Labor
KEYWORDS Amazon
  • Related Articles

    Sponsored By
    Green Cubes Technology

    Reduce Workplace Injuries with Li-ion Batteries for Material Handling

    OSHA takes muscle out of proposal ... for now

    U.S. sea imports to hit all-time record in August due to labor uncertainty, report says

Benames
Ben Ames has spent 20 years as a journalist since starting out as a daily newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania in 1995. From 1999 forward, he has focused on business and technology reporting for a number of trade journals, beginning when he joined Design News and Modern Materials Handling magazines. Ames is author of the trail guide "Hiking Massachusetts" and is a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism.

Recent Articles by Ben Ames

Jungheinrich buys Indiana warehouse automation vendor for $375 million

Shipping groups back bipartisan trucking overhaul bill

Walmart boosts investment in GoLocal delivery-as-a-service platform

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Outlook 2023: What’s in store for logistics/supply chain?

  • Ports, maritime operators see tide turning as ocean freight tsunami subsides

  • In Person: Steve Beverly of Penske

  • InPerson interview: Rob McKeel of Fortna

  • Shipping groups back bipartisan trucking overhaul bill

Now Playing on DCV-TV

89cfed30 8aac 4284 960d c8c8c1886e16

Have you checked your read rate lately?

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
No reads. Unaccounted for boxes. Boxes sent to the wrong place. A logistics nightmare! But this nightmare doesn’t have to come true. SICK’s linear line scan camera is what dreams are made of for your logistics operations. And if you’re worried about motion and vibration from conveyor belts...well, there’s no reason...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • Reusable Packaging for the New Wave of Supply Chain Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing