OSHA cites Amazon for unsafe working conditions
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued alert letters in regard to three Amazon warehouse facilities. OSHA has cited Amazon for failing to keep workers safe after inspections at three warehouse facilities — in Deltona, Florida; Waukegan, Illinois; and New Windsor, New York — after finding workers exposed to ergonomic hazards.
Specifically, OSHA cited the company for violations of the general duty clause in the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which requires employers to provide safe workplaces. The agency also cited the company for exposing workers at the Florida warehouse to struck-by hazards. Similar investigations at three Amazon locations in Aurora, Colorado; Nampa, Idaho; and Castleton, New York, are ongoing.
The department's actions follow referrals from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York that led the agency to open inspections at Amazon warehouses in Deltona, Waukegan, and New Windsor on July 18, 2022; and in Aurora, Nampa and Castleton on Aug. 1, 2022.
OSHA investigators found Amazon warehouse workers at high risk for lower back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders related to the high frequency with which workers are required to lift packages and other items; the heavy weight of the items; awkward postures, such as twisting, bending and long reaches while lifting; and long hours required to complete assigned tasks. OSHA also reviewed on-site injury logs required by OSHA and discovered that Amazon warehouse workers experienced high rates of musculoskeletal disorders.
Amazon faces a total of $60,269 in proposed penalties for these violations.
"Each of these inspections found work processes that were designed for speed but not safety, and they resulted in serious worker injuries," said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker.
In December 2022, OSHA cited Amazon for 14 recordkeeping violations as part of the same investigation.
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