Amazon: Nearly every second warehouse worker reportedly gets injured on Prime Day
According to the US Senate, a high number of workers are injured in Amazon's logistics centers on Prime Day – in 2019, it was nearly 45 percent.
Amazon logistics center in Bad Hersfeld, March 2021
(Image: 4kclips/Shutterstock.com)
There are a particularly high number of injuries in Amazon's logistics centers on Prime Day. This is according to a US Senate report published by the "HELP" committee ("Health, Education, Labor and Pensions") on Prime Day 2024. According to the report, almost half of warehouse workers were injured on Amazon's big shopping day in 2019.
This statistic is based on Amazon's own statements to the US Senate. On Prime Day 2019, almost 45 percent of workers in Amazon's US logistics centers were injured, according to the committee headed by Senator Bernie Sanders. Ten of these had to be reported to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - more than twice as many as usual in the industry, according to the report. In addition to analyzing the data, the committee spoke to over 100 former and current Amazon employees.
"Appalling injury rates"
"These injury rates are particularly appalling when you consider the incredible revenue the company generates," writes the "HELP" committee. In 2023, Amazon generated 12.7 billion US dollars in sales revenue from its Prime Days alone.
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"Amazon continues to treat its employees as replaceable and disregard their safety and well-being," said Senator Bernie Sanders. "Amazon must be held accountable for the horrendous working conditions in its warehouses and significantly reduce its injury rate."
Amazon warehouse understaffed
According to the Senate report, one reason for the numerous injuries is understaffing at peak times. According to the report, the workload increases on Prime Day or during the Christmas period without Amazon providing additional support. Amazon does not manage to reliably fill vacancies. The result is pressure on employees to work faster while disregarding safety guidelines.
Amazon has criticized the report as inaccurate and outdated. "The report draws sweeping and inaccurate conclusions based on unverified anecdotes," a company spokeswoman told CNBC. "It misrepresents documents that are several years old and contain factual errors and false conclusions." For example, the claim that there are not enough staff available during peak shopping hours is false.
Since 2019, Amazon has reduced its injury rate for cases beyond simple first aid by 28 percent in the US. Since 2019, Amazon has been able to reduce the incidence of serious injuries that lead to absence from work by 75 percent.
(dahe)
