Amazon Ignores Research Showing Warehouse Employees at High Risk of Injury Due to Productivity Focus, Says Senate Report
Amazon has been accused of ignoring its own research that shows warehouse employees are facing an increased injury threat due to its focus on productivity. According to a Senate report released Sunday, the company forces workers to repeat the same movements hundreds, if not thousands, of times each shift, resulting in extremely high rates of injury to their muscles and joints. Additionally, workers are pressured to choose between following safety procedures or risk discipline and potential termination for not meeting productivity targets.
The Senate report, titled “The ‘Injury-Productivity Trade-off’: How Amazon’s Obsession with Speed Creates Uniquely Dangerous Warehouses,” alleges that Amazon’s prioritization of speed over safety is putting workers at risk. The report cites an Amazon internal report, titled Project Soteria, which found a relationship between the speed of tasks performed and the rate of injury. However, Amazon has described Project Soteria as “outdated,” “inaccurate,” and “analytically unsound.”
Despite Amazon’s claims, the report shows that injuries are on the rise at its facilities, with workers suffering from permanent disabilities and severe injuries due to the company’s demand for productivity. The Senate committee is calling on Amazon to take action to protect its workers, and Senate staff members are demanding that the company prioritize the safety and well-being of its employees over profits.
The report is not the first time Amazon’s working conditions have been criticized. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration proposed fines totaling $100,000 in 2023 for ergonomic hazards, which Amazon is contesting. Senator Bernie Sanders, who heads the committee behind the report, said, “Amazon’s executives repeatedly chose to put profits ahead of the health and safety of its workers… This is precisely the type of outrageous corporate greed that the American people are sick and tired of.”