OSHA alleges the company failed to use established controls to ensure that injured employees received proper medical care.
The U.S. Department of Labor says a federal workplace safety investigation has found that workers at an Amazon fulfillment center in Logan Township, New Jersey, have been exposed to ergonomic hazards, according to a news release.
Inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation in January 2023 and found the company was “exposing employees to ergonomic hazards capable of causing serious physical harm,” according to the releaser.
OSHA said Amazon required employees to perform tasks leading to bodily stress that “had caused, were causing and were likely to cause musculoskeletal disorders.” The findings led federal investigators to issue a citation for particular ergonomic hazards and propose $15,625 in penalties.
“During its investigation, OSHA also learned that Amazon had failed to use established controls to ensure that injured employees received proper medical care,” the department said.
The department said it has found similar instances at other Amazon facilities in Deltona, Florida, in January 2023, and Castleton, New York, in April 2023. Currently, the department has 18 open federal inspections at Amazon locations in the U.S.
“The work done by Amazon employees in the company’s fulfillment centers is physically demanding, which makes the availability of proper medical care extremely important,” said OSHA Area Director Paula Dixon-Roderick in Marlton, New Jersey. “Amazon needs to do more to protect the safety and health of its employees, including implementation of a companywide strategy to address well-known and preventable hazards.”
Read more about the investigations here.
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Mark Powell is MDM’s Associate Editor. He is a former mainstream news reporter and editor and has worked in the online, print, radio and TV news industries. Mark earned a bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University and a master’s degree from California State University, Bakersfield. He has lived and worked in various cities across California, Colorado and Kansas and currently lives in Shafter, California.
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