Amazon has reached a settlement with federal regulators over safety violations at its warehouses, agreeing to implement nationwide injury risk assessments and pay a fine.
At a Glance
- Amazon settles with OSHA over safety violations at 10 warehouses
- Company to pay $145,000 fine and implement injury risk assessments nationwide
- Settlement requires corporate-wide ergonomic requirements at warehouses
- Amazon claims alignment with existing safety programs, denies strict production quotas
- Ongoing U.S. attorney investigation into potential misreporting of injury rates
OSHA Settlement Details
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced a corporate-wide settlement with Amazon regarding safety violations at 10 of its warehouses. The federal health and safety regulators cited the e-commerce giant for exposing workers to risks of joint and soft-tissue injuries due to the pace and method of lifting items.
As part of the settlement, OSHA agreed to withdraw citations at nine warehouses, while Amazon will pay a $145,000 fine for the 10th warehouse in Illinois. The agreement requires Amazon to assess injury risks nationwide and implement pilot programs to address these risks.
Amazon to pay OSHA $145,000 in workplace safety settlement https://t.co/XEYFijecO8
— Engadget (@engadget) December 19, 2024
Corporate-Wide Safety Measures
The settlement mandates that Amazon ensure corporate-wide ergonomic requirements are implemented at its warehouses. Seema Nanda, the Solicitor of Labor, emphasized the significance of this requirement:
“This settlement requires Amazon to take action at the corporate level to ensure corporate-wide ergonomic requirements are effectively implemented at its warehouses,” she said.
While the settlement mandates specific changes only at the warehouse handling bulky items, requiring an official to oversee safety issues, Amazon claims that the agreement aligns with its existing safety programs and does not mandate physical changes to warehouse equipment or layout.
Amazon’s Safety Investments and Disputed Claims
Amazon has stated that it has invested over $1 billion in worker safety since 2019, claiming reduced injury rates below industry averages. The company expressed appreciation for OSHA’s consideration of the facts:
“We appreciate OSHA’s willingness to consider all the facts and reach today’s agreement with us, and we look forward to continuing to work with them going forward,” Amazon said.
However, unions and advocates have accused Amazon of setting high production targets leading to injury risks and using misleading injury rate benchmarks. A Senate committee report found Amazon’s injury rates to be double those of the industry over the past seven years. Internal Amazon studies reportedly linked high injury rates to production quotas, but executives rejected recommendations to ease work pace.
Ongoing Investigations
The settlement does not affect an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York into potential misreporting of injury rates by Amazon. The company denies having strict production quotas and disputes the Senate committee report’s findings.
“We believe DOJ’s legal theory lacks merit and we’re cooperating fully with their investigation,” Maureen Lynch Vogel, an Amazon spokesperson, said.
As Amazon moves forward with implementing the terms of the settlement, the company’s safety practices and injury reporting methods remain under scrutiny from regulators and labor advocates alike.
