Warehouse workers in Wisconsin and elsewhere face injury risks while at work. A recent study has revealed that warehouse workers employed by Amazon are more likely to experience injuries on the job than their counterparts employed by other companies.
How common are Amazon warehouse workers’ injuries?
In 2021, a study was performed that determined that warehouse workers employed by Amazon experienced a rate of injuries that’s higher than those working at competing companies. To break down the numbers, it was found that Amazon warehouse workers experience serious injuries at a rate of 6.8 for every 100 employees. By contrast, warehouse workers employed by different companies were shown to experience a rate of 3.3 injuries per 100 workers.
Around 38,000 injuries were reported by Amazon at its facilities in 2021. This marked around a 20% increase from 2020 as 27,000 injuries were reported that year. Most of these injuries were considered serious and required employees to file workers’ compensation claims to take significant time off to heal. Some employees were able to work in reduced capacities with limitations to their normal jobs.
How does Amazon respond?
Amazon claimed that it was aiming to improve safety among its employees as a whole, claiming to be “Earth’s Safest Place to Work” while injuries among its warehouse workers increased by 20% in one year.
An Amazon spokesperson said that the increase in warehouse injuries was due to the increase in hiring since 2020. They pointed out that injuries reported by Amazon workers decreased in 2020 and stated that the company wouldn’t be satisfied until it reaches excellence where safety is concerned.
Amazon also revealed that it spent $300 toward making safety improvements for its workers and that 43% fewer employees missed work due to injuries compared with the previous year.
Amazon employees have pushed for better safety conditions and tried to unionize. They have complained about being pushed to produce faster, leading to problems taking breaks and even using the bathroom.
On-the-job injuries are often serious. If you were injured due to unsafe work conditions, fight back.
