Endangerment

and Neglect of
Employees
Physical Safety
at Amazon
A brief report by Nisha Miah | Business Writing
 General Background Information

Over the past ten years, Amazon warehouses across the nation
have been consumed by mass rates of employee physical
injuries due to the work environment's hazardous and unsafe
conditions (McCarthy, 2021).

As executives have long ignored the warehouse's dangerous

and constant high-pressure setting, the number of employees
enduring physical injuries of all degrees has risen (McCarthy,
2021).
 Key Findings

In 2019, several groups of researchers and journalists had collected data indicating that the rate of
injury at Amazon was two times over the traditional statistics produced by the respective industry
(Strategic Organizing Center, 2021)

According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), a total of 27,178 injuries
requiring medical attention or preventing workers from returning to work were recorded just in
2020 (Strategic Organizing Center, 2021).

Handfuls of workers have exposed that Amazon's relentless desire for their workers to
complete tasks rapidly causes their safety to be regularly neglected (Evans, 2020).

Some employees have also revealed that even upon being injured or visibly hurt, managers
continue to assign them tasks that are high risk for further injury (Evans, 2020).
 Diagnosing the Root Cause

Why are workers at Amazon warehouses enduring the highest rates of physical injury?

Managers and executives are not prioritizing the safety of their workers; statements from employees
have showcased that even after being injured, most are forced to go back to engaging in physically
straining tasks without sufficient breaks (Evans, 2020)

Why are workers not given sufficient rest breaks and injured workers still made to engage
in physically straining duties?

ROOT CAUSE: Reports have indicated that the primary reason for staggering rates of physical injury at
Amazon warehouses stems from the company's "obsession with speed in every part of its business..."
(Strategic Organizing Center, 2021)
 Illustrating Rise of Injuries Sustained at Amazon Cont.

Figure 1. (Strategic Organizing Center, 2021)

 Basic Suggestions to Tackle Issue

1.) Figure out a fixed schedule that allows for employees to take a sufficient enough break
so they may return to working at total capacity

2.) Implement flexible working accommodations for employees with pre-existing physical
conditions to ensure injuries are being best prevented

3.) Conduct surveys with current warehouse employees to gather their statements on the matter
so the situation can be resolved in accordance with their needs

4.) Implement rigorous safety guidelines which are evaluated monthly by private safety

contractors/investigators

 References

1.) McCarthy, N. (2021, June 8). Amazon warehouse injuries significantly higher than competitors [infographic].
Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2021/06/08/amazon-warehouse-injuries-significantly
higher-than-competitors-infographic/?sh=1ef35c4c6854.

Pain: Amazon's Epidemic of Workplace Injuries
2.) Strategic Organizing Center. (2021, May). Primed for

[infographic]. https://thesoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/PrimedForPain.pdf

3.) Strategic Organizing Center. (2021, May). Primed for Pain: Amazon's Epidemic of Workplace Injuries

[report]. https://thesoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/PrimedForPain.pdf

4.) Evans, W. (2020, January 21). Ruthless quotas at Amazon are maiming employees. The Atlantic.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/11/amazon-warehouse-reports-show-worker-
injuries/602530/.

 Required Draft Questions

1.) I feel good about the fact that my report

has an easy-to-follow structure, with
information that is organized in a manner that is not choppy. In addition, I love that I
included a lot of important details and statistics from various sources.

2.) I am not totally sure if I included too much text on my slides as I know that business
reports are meant to be reasonably concise and quick-reads.

3.) My specific question for Dr. Said is if it is all right to include direct quotes from sources or if
it is best to paraphrase information? Furthermore, how much text is just enough to fit on a
singular slide without it appearing crowded?

4.) I think Dr.Said will like the color scheme of my report as well as the general structure of
it. However, I do believe that she might think there is too much text on some of the slides.