Getty ImagesAn investigation led by Senator Bernie Sanders has revealed that Amazon pressures its US warehouse workers to fulfill orders at speeds that could lead to high injury rates despite being aware of the risks. are
gave Resultsfollowing an 18-month investigation into the firm, supports claims that activists and labor campaigners have made about the company over the years.
The report accused the firm of rejecting changes that would have slowed workers, but improved safety due to concerns for its bottom line.
But Amazon said The report was “factually incorrect”, and contained “selective, outdated information that lacks context and is not factual”.
“This investigation was not a fact-finding mission, but an attempt to gather information and twist it to support a false narrative,” the company said.
Amazon, which employs about 800,000 people in the U.S., has faced allegations of unsafe conditions in its warehouses for years.
These concerns grew during the Covid pandemic, when e-commerce exploded, leading to protests by its workers around the world.
Amid the controversy, founder Jeff Bezos said the company needed to do better through its employees.
Senator Sanders, known for his pro-worker stance, launched an investigation into Amazon’s practices in June 2023. Senate staff conducted 135 interviews and reviewed more than 1,000 documents.
Their analysis of public records found that warehouses operated by Amazon recorded 30 percent more injuries than the warehouse industry average in 2023.
Amazon workers were also twice as likely to be injured in each of the past seven years as people working in warehouses operated by other companies, according to the report, which the Senate Committee on Health, Signed by Democratic members of Education, Labor. And pension
According to the investigation, Amazon had internally examined links between workplace speed and injury rates, including in a review called Project Soteria.
But the report said the company chose not to adopt the proposed changes, which include giving workers more time off, and halting disciplinary action against people who don’t meet work speed requirements.
Investigators also accused Amazon of trying to “manipulate” the data to mislead the public about its safety record.
Amazon said it was reasonable for the firm to focus on security comparisons at large warehouses.
He accused the Senate investigation of ignoring painful facts, such as the drop in his injury rate and a recent court victory, which dismissed safety complaints.
It said another team asked to review the recommendations of Amazon’s internal security study said the procedure was “inadequate.”
Amazon said “nothing” is more important to the firm than employee safety.
“Sen. Sanders and his staff chose to rely on Soteria’s analysis because it fit the false narrative he wanted to create,” the company added.