A new report is showing little to no change in safety since Amazon pledged to become a safer company. During the early days of the pandemic, it was determined that for every 100 Amazon warehouse workers, 5.9 serious injuries were sustained. (source via CNBC) This was about 80% higher than the serious injuries suffered outside of Amazon’s warehouses. A new report indicates that Amazon employs 1/3 of all U.S. warehouse workers, but accounts for half the injuries. (source via Business Insider) Thus, it comes as no surprise that the recent pushes to unionize at Amazon facilities is driven more by safety concerns and far less by pay increases. (source via Yahoo News) Clearly, unionizing is on the rise at Amazon and it shows no signs of slowing. (source via Fox Business)
It appears that Amazon plans to introduce more robots, AI, and automation to make the warehouses safer for its employees. However, it seems more likely that Amazon only plans to spend money on automation to replace its workers one day. Until then, Amazon has a problem with its robotic warehouses being more dangerous than they need to be. At the Monee facility, 40 workers suffered severe injuries in 2018, and 25 were injured just during the holiday “peak” season, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. If you’ve been hurt in a workplace accident – at your Amazon warehouse job in Cicero, McKinley Park, Pullman, Humboldt Park, Maywood, Joliet, or elsewhere – be sure to reach out without delay to an experienced Chicago workplace injury attorney to discuss your case and find out your legal options.
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What is perhaps most surprising about this report is that non-Amazon work injuries among non-Amazon workers is going down. (source via Business Insider) This means that over the past couple of years that the rates of injury for Amazon drivers might statistically being going down compared to those working in the warehouses or fulfillment centers. What we do know is that efficiency is far more important at Amazon than safety. The expectation over the coming years is that Amazon work injuries will steadily increase.
Katz Friedman has been helping Amazon workers who have been injured on the job for several years. https://3907257.findlaw2.flsitebuilder.com/practice-areas/workers-compensation/injured-amazon-workers/ If you sustain injuries as an Amazon warehouse worker or driver, you may be able to make a workers’ compensation claim and a personal injury claim. The circumstances of the accident will determine what theories should be asserted to recover damages. Our attorneys will look closely at your particular situation and try to obtain the greatest available relief for you.