Soap, car repair tools, clothes, snacks, decorations, personal hygiene products – you name it, Amazon can get it shipped to your door in mere days. The online shopping and shipping powerhouse is built on intense efficiency and product fulfillment available to anyone. But is there a price that workers are paying to get every order fulfilled ASAP?
The $800 billion company hosts 110 fulfillment warehouses in the U.S. From a 2018 study, there was a rate of 9.6 serious injuries, those requiring restrictions or days off, for every 100 full-time workers. The industry average is 4.
Workers report that Amazon’s efficiency goals and performance expectations are among the leading factors for injury. Here are some of the most common warehouse injuries are:
- Forklift accidents are reported to cause two warehouse deaths every month.
- Improperly stacked and stored products can result in injuries from falling objects.
- Slips, trips and falls are the cause of 15% of accidental deaths in the industry.
- Pallet rack collapses often occur when storage is not done correctly.
- Improperly trained employees can quickly suffer from bodily strain and ergonomic injuries.
So many of these injuries could be prevented with proper employee education and enforcement of proper safety standards. Unfortunately, when that does not happen, workers are at risk for life-changing injuries and even death.
Many workers hurt on the job are eligible for worker’s compensation, but often need to fight for the help they deserve, especially against large corporations like Amazon. If you suffer an injury at work, you should always work with an attorney that you trust to fight for you.
