Bernie Sanders report exposes Amazon’s ‘outrageous injury levels’ during Prime Day season

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders released an interim report  last week condemning “outrageous injury levels” at Amazon during the Prime Day season. This report is part of a broader investigation into the e-commerce giant’s workplace safety practices and corporate conduct.

The report, citing internal Amazon data, revealed that the total injury rate surged to nearly 45 per 100 workers during Prime Day week in 2019. The rate of “recordable” injuries, which must be reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), was more than double the industry average, exceeding ten injuries per 100 workers.

“The incredibly dangerous working conditions at Amazon revealed in this investigation are a perfect example of the type of corporate greed that the American people are sick and tired of,” Senator Sanders said. “Despite making $36 billion in profits last year and providing its CEO with over $275 million in compensation over the past three years, Amazon continues to treat its workers as disposable and with complete contempt for their safety and wellbeing. That is unacceptable and that has got to change. Amazon must be held accountable for the horrendous working conditions at its warehouses and substantially reduce its injury rates.”

The report also highlights issues with Amazon’s medical management and injury reporting practices. OSHA documents included in the report indicate a pattern of providing on-site first aid to injured workers, sometimes even for serious injuries, instead of referring them to external medical providers. The report claims that Amazon has been cited by OSHA for failing to properly record injuries in at least 20 facilities since 2019.

“This report confirms what we have heard from workers for years. Amazon drives its workers to the brink of physical collapse, causing unbearable wear and tear on their bodies, resulting in injuries and long-term damage. It is well known that to work at Amazon is to work in a meat grinder. It doesn’t have to be this way,” said Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union. “The call for change is even more urgent as the planet overheats and record-breaking temperatures become the norm. Instead of resisting its workers’ call for a union, Amazon should sit down and negotiate fair – and safe- conditions, which includes an end to unreasonable production demands and comprehensive measures to protect their employees from the consequences of heat.”

Sanders emphasized the issue of chronic understaffing at Amazon warehouses, particularly during peak periods like Prime Day. He argued that understaffing leads to longer hours and increased workloads that puts workers at a higher risk of injuries.

Read Full interim report [HERE].

This is not the first time that Amazon has been criticized for putting workers at risk. Last month, UNI Global Union unveiled a new survey which states that Amazon warehouse and delivery workers in India are enduring intense pressure and unsafe conditions while struggling to support themselves with insufficient pay. The report, published by UNI Global Union in partnership with the Amazon India Workers Association (AIWA), is the first to examine the working conditions of Amazon employees in India, drawing responses from 1,838 participants and comes in the wake of widespread reports of dangerous conditions at Amazon during the summer heatwave in and around New Delhi.

This survey follows a similar study by UNI Global Union conducted last year across eight countries, including the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom, which also reported highly pressurized and harmful working conditions at Amazon. The findings from India echo the global alarm workers around the world are raising about inhumane productivity demands, inadequate safety measures and poor compensation.