A new report by the Senate Labor Committee claims that Amazon disregarded internal warnings from its own safety team about the link between high production quotas and injury rates among warehouse workers. The investigation, led by Senator Bernie Sanders, found evidence of a culture of prioritizing productivity over worker safety.
According to the report, Amazon’s health and safety personnel recommended relaxing enforcement of production quotas to reduce injuries, but senior executives rejected these recommendations due to concerns about their impact on the company’s performance.
The report also found that injury rates at Amazon warehouses are significantly higher than those in other industries, with rates almost twice as high as the industry average. The investigation cited internal Amazon studies that showed workers were picking items at a rate of over 266 items per hour, exceeding an upper limit set by health and safety personnel to avoid injuries.
Amazon has long maintained that it does not use strict production quotas, but employees have reported feeling pressure to meet productivity targets or face disciplinary action. The report also found flaws in Amazon’s comparison of its injury rates with the industry average, which it says is heavily skewed by including large warehouses in the data set.
The Senate Labor Committee’s report is the latest in a series of investigations into Amazon’s workplace safety record, which have raised concerns about the company’s treatment of warehouse workers. The report’s findings are consistent with previous studies and regulatory actions taken against Amazon, including fines and citations for violating safety regulations.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/business/economy/amazon-warehouse-injuries.html