Amazon pushes its US warehouse workers to fulfill orders at speeds that could cause high rates of injury despite being aware of the risks, an investigation led by Senator Bernie Sanders has found. The findings, following an 18-month probe of the firm, support claims that workers and labour campaigners have made about the company for years.
The report accused the firm of rejecting changes that would have reduced workers’ pace but improved safety because of concerns about its bottom line. But Amazon said the report was “wrong on the facts,” and featured “selective, outdated information that lacks context and isn’t grounded in reality.”
Amazon, which employs roughly 800,000 people in the US, has faced accusations about unsafe conditions at its warehouses for years. Those concerns ramped up during the Covid pandemic, when e-commerce exploded, leading to protests by its workers around the world.
Senator Sanders launched the investigation into Amazon’s practices in June 2023. Senate staffers conducted 135 interviews and reviewed more than 1,000 documents. Their analysis of public records found that warehouses operated by Amazon recorded over 30% more injuries than the warehousing industry average in 2023. Amazon workers were also nearly twice as likely to be injured compared to workers at other warehouses over the last seven years.
Amazon had internally examined connections between workplace speed and injury rates, including a review called Project Soteria, according to the investigation. However, the report said the company opted not to adopt the recommended changes, such as providing more time off to workers and halting disciplinary action for not meeting speed requirements.
Amazon refuted the findings, saying its injury rates had declined and asserting that employee safety is its top priority.
