The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is accusing Amazon of misrepresenting data related to warehouse injuries. While the retailer denies the accusations, the committee report said the retailer’s warehouses documented 30% higher injuries than the industry average in 2023. Compared to other warehouse workers, Amazon employees are “twice as likely” to be hurt on the job.
According to the Senate report, Amazon conducted its own internal work-related injury study called “Project Soteria” four years ago. Reportedly, the company’s own data found that reported injuries fell when worker quotas were not strictly enforced. Another Amazon study — “Project Elderwand” — measured the maximum number of repeated motions a worker could do when getting items from the warehouse shelves before getting injured. However, to meet quotas, workers often exceeded the upper limit.
Both studies concluded various changes to policies and procedures were needed to make working conditions safer. Yet, management purportedly ignored the findings and rejected the recommendations.
The committee found that the quotas imposed on Amazon warehouse workers encouraged unsafe and repeated movements to accomplish tasks, resulting in “musculoskeletal disorders.” The safety measures in place were supposedly difficult or almost impossible to implement.
“The shockingly dangerous working conditions at Amazon’s warehouses revealed in this 160-page report are beyond unacceptable,” said committee chair Senator Bernie Sanders, per The New York Times. “Amazon’s executives repeatedly chose to put profits ahead of the health and safety of its workers by ignoring recommendations that would substantially reduce injuries.”
The Senate’s investigation also noted that the retailer’s management team openly discouraged injured workers from getting medical care. As far as the ones who did seek outside care, the workers were purportedly asked to come back to work before they were fully recovered.
Amazon Responds to Senate’s Workplace Safety Report
Amazon essentially answered the Senate committee by claiming the study is “fundamentally flawed.” According to its data, delivery speed went up while injury reports went down over the last five years.
“Because speedy delivery doesn’t come from pushing people harder – it comes from getting products closer to customers and reducing the number of steps involved in going from a supplier to a customer,” the company stated.
The retailer’s internal 2023 numbers showed an average of 6.3 out of 100 workers were injured, lower than the industry average of 9.7. Amazon also disputed the committee’s claim that it discouraged workers from getting medical care. Purportedly, the company’s onsite wellness centers only provide first aid and are not used to diagnose or treat medical conditions that should be handled by other medical professionals. Amazon said the in-house facilities are not used to cover up reported injuries.
“We’re disappointed that Sen. Sanders has published a pre-conceived and one-sided narrative instead of a factual report,” the company noted. “But, the false information in this report doesn’t change reality: Our safety progress is well documented, and we’re proud of it.”
Earlier this year, California fined Amazon $6 million for labor violations. Per the state, the retail behemoth mistreated employees at two of its facilities near Los Angeles.
