Amazon Faces Senate Report Accusations Over Warehouse Worker Injuries

By Evans Momodu
4 minute read

Amazon is under renewed scrutiny for allegedly prioritisng productivity over worker safety, as outlined in a 160-page Senate report released on Sunday.

The investigation, led by Senator Bernie Sanders, claims Amazon’s demanding productivity quotas have led to higher injury rates among warehouse employees, particularly to their muscles and joints.

The report accuses Amazon of requiring workers to perform repetitive tasks hundreds to thousands of times per shift, creating significant ergonomic hazards.

Workers, it says, are often forced to choose between adhering to safety guidelines—like seeking help with heavy objects—or risking punishment for failing to maintain the required pace.

The investigation highlights Amazon’s own internal studies, such as “Project Soteria,” which found a clear link between the speed of tasks and worker injuries. Project Soteria recommended reforms to reduce injury rates, including altering speed-related discipline policies.
However, the report accuses Amazon of ignoring these findings and prioritising profit.

Amazon has rejected the Senate committee’s conclusions, labeling Project Soteria as “outdated” and “analytically unsound.” The company insists its injury rates have significantly declined, citing a 28% reduction in serious injuries from 2019 to 2023 and a 75% drop in injuries requiring missed workdays.

“The report accuses us of having safety policies in place but not following them, which is hard to square with our significant progress,” Amazon stated.

Amazon also pointed to a Washington state lawsuit citing Project Soteria, which was dismissed by a judge who ruled that the state had failed to prove the pace of work was hazardous.

Senator Sanders, a long-time critic of Amazon, condemned the company for allegedly putting profits before worker health:

“This is precisely the type of outrageous corporate greed that the American people are sick and tired of.”

The report calls into question Amazon’s commitment to worker safety and highlights what it describes as a trade-off between productivity and employee well-being.

Critics argue that current penalties, such as OSHA fines, are insufficient to drive meaningful changes for a company that earned over $17 billion in profits in its most recent quarter.

Amazon maintains that its policies are improving safety outcomes, and it has dismissed the report as politically motivated.
Source: CNN