Amazon hit with OSHA citations at 3 facilities due to 'ergonomic hazards' for workers

OSHA issued citations against Amazon based on findings of "serious violations" of the Occupational Safety and Health Act at three facilities that expose workers to potential injuries.

The announcement, from U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker, specified that the citations were based on "ergonomic hazards" that could lead to "lower back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders [MSDs]" for employees at facilities in New Windsor, N.Y., Waukegan, Ill., and Deltona, Fla.

"These citations are a step toward protecting the hard-working people at Amazon’s warehouses who have been laboring under hazardous conditions," Williams said in a statement. "OSHA’s investigation regarding workplace safety hazards at Amazon warehouses continues."

The announcement, released by the Justice Department, detailed how the "high frequency" of listing heavy packages and other objects, in addition to "twisting, bending, and long reaches" in the process of lifting, and long hours contributed to the risks, The announcement also stated that OSHA cited the Deltona facility for workers being at risk of getting hit with falling boxes of goods.

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Parker claimed that OSHA's inspections found that the workflow at the facilities "were designed for speed but not safety," and has led to "serious worker injuries."

OSHA is still investigating three other facilities in Albany, N.Y., Boise, Idaho, and Denver, Colo. 

Amazon, meanwhile, said that MSDs "are the most common type of workplace injury across all industries, not just at Amazon,"  and that "Amazon has publicly committed to significantly reducing MSDs and through our partnership with the National Safety Council, we’ve brought together some of the best expertise in the world to develop best practices and mitigate risk."

Amazon also noted that the findings of "serious" violations are not the most severe possible, which would be "willful" violations.

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Williams added that his office is also looking into possible "fraudulent conduct designed to hide injuries from OSHA and others." Last month, OSHA cited all six facilities they were investigating for not properly logging injuries to be reported to OSHA.

The Justice Department said that its Civil Division is also looking into safety hazards for workers – not just in those six facilities, but in others around the United States. – and whether Amazon was accurately reporting injuries.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement that the company takes employees' health and safety "very seriously," and that they plan to appeal the decision with which they "strongly disagree."

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"We’ve cooperated fully, and the government’s allegations don’t reflect the reality of safety at our sites. Over the last several months we’ve demonstrated the extent to which we work every day to mitigate risk and protect our people, and our publicly available data show we’ve reduced injury rates nearly 15% between 2019 and 2021," Nantel said. "What’s more, the vast majority of our employees tell us they feel our workplace is safe. We look forward to sharing more during our appeal about the numerous safety innovations, process improvements, and investments we’re making to further reduce injuries. We know there will always be ways for us to improve even further, and we will—we’ll never stop working to be safer for our employees."