When you earn your living in a Georgia warehouse, you face many on-the-job risks. A new report indicates that one well-known warehouse employer is attempting to conceal how dangerous your work environment really is. The report also reveals that injuries rates among its employees have continued to rise despite its pledges to the contrary.
According to Occupational Health & Safety, injury rates among Amazon warehouse workers are high throughout the year. However, you face an elevated risk of experiencing a warehouse injury during major sales and the holiday season, when days are longer and busier and more workers pack into the same spaces.
Amazon warehouse injury statistics
How common are injuries in Amazon warehouses? In one U.S. warehouse location, 22 workers suffered injuries for every 100 employed there. This is five times the average injury rate seen industry-wide.
Amazon’s efforts to conceal injury rates
Also troubling is the fact that Amazon has a history of litigation relating to concealing information about injury rates. A recent lawsuit alleged that the company failed to produce employee injury and illness logs despite a 2019 government mandate requiring the company to do so. Amazon also faced sanctions in 2015 relating to its failure to report 26 injuries and illnesses experienced by workers at one of its New Jersey warehouses.
Amazon’s broken pledges
In response to increased scrutiny about its high warehouse injury rates, Amazon committed to reducing the injury rate among its warehouse workers by 20%. The company made the pledge in 2018. However, reports suggest that injury rates have continued to rise in the time since.