Senate investigation alleges Amazon disregarded employee safety in pursuit of enhanced productivity
Senate investigation alleges Amazon disregarded employee safety in pursuit of enhanced productivity
The recent Senate report revealed that Amazon compels employees to perform repetitive actions countless times during each shift, leading to an alarming surge in muscular and joint injuries. The company reportedly pressures workers to prioritize speed over safety protocols, such as requesting assistance when handling heavy objects, or risk facing disciplinary action or potential termination for slow performance.
Amazon, however, argues that the report exaggerates data and claims its injury rates have decreased despite a significant increase in output over the years.
The 160-page report, drafted by a Senate committee chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a long-time Amazon critic, isn't the first instance of government scrutiny over Amazon's pace. In 2023, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration proposed fines amounting to $100,000 due to workplace conditions that exposed employees to ergonomic hazards.
However, the report contends that the OSHA-imposed fines are insufficient to motivate Amazon, with profits exceeding $17 billion in its latest quarter, to alter its practices. Amazon is challenging these allegations as well, asserting that it's effectively implementing strategies to lessen injuries at its facilities.
The report, initially brought to light by the New York Times, is titled “The ‘Injury-Productivity Trade-off’: How Amazon's Obsession with Speed Creates Uniquely Dangerous Warehouses.”
Senator Sanders stated, “Amazon's executives persistently opted for profits over the well-being of its workers by disregarding recommendations that could significantly reduce injuries in its warehouses. This is the epitome of reprehensible corporate greed that the public is tiresomely fed up with.”
The report alleges that numerous Amazon warehouse employees endure severe injuries and lifelong disabilities due to the company's insistence on enforcing excessive productivity quotas and its refusal to provide adequate care for injured workers.
Furthermore, the report revealed that investigators discovered indications of Amazon's awareness of the safety hazards caused by the excessive speed it expects from its employees, citing Amazon's internal worker safety studies, which they accused Amazon of disregarding.
An Amazon internal report cited by Senate investigators, titled Project Soteria, suggested a correlation between the speed of tasks carried out by workers and their injury rate. Project Soteria recommended revising speed-related discipline and time-off policies to lower injury rates.
Amazon, in turn, characterized Project Soteria as "outdated" and "incorrect," along with "analytically unsound." Amazon asserted that its injury rate in US warehouses dropped 28% from 2019 to 2023 in cases requiring more than basic first aid, and that injuries causing workers to miss time from work diminished by 75% during the same period.
“The report accuses us of having safety policies in place but not adhering to them, which is challenging to reconcile with our substantial progress: robust policies – and adherence to them – are instrumental in creating a safer work environment every day,” Amazon contended.
Amazon claimed that a lawsuit instituted by Washington state's labor regulators, which also cited the Project Soteria study, was dismissed by a state judge, who concluded “the department failed to establish that the work pace was hazardous.”
“Sen. Sanders and his staff chose to rely on the discredited Soteria analysis due to its alignment with the erroneous narrative they wished to construct,” Amazon argued.
The Senate report also critiques Amazon's business strategy, suggesting that the company prioritizes productivity and profit over worker safety, potentially leading to injury-related issues.
In response to the allegations, Amazon maintains that it is committed to improving workplace safety, claiming a decrease in injury rates despite increased output and dismissing claims of disregarding safety protocols.