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Internal documents show automated Amazon warehouses have higher injury rates
Sep 29, 2020
Amazon’s warehouses with robots, which the company has claimed would help reduce worker injuries, actually have higher injury rates than warehouses without automation, according to internal Amazon records obtained by Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting . The stunning fact comes as part of a broader report investigating rising injury rates at Amazon warehouses across the country.
Amazon’s warehouse robots are apparently so efficient that quotas have increased substantially, requiring workers to do repetitive motions over long shifts that can eventually lead to injuries. For example, workers who grab and scan items had their quotas increase from about 100 items an hour to 400 items an hour in the automated warehouses, according to the report. The rise in injury rates suggests automation could actually be creating a more dangerous environment for the workers, despite hopes that robots would take on the most dangerous tasks.
Amazon piloted specific measures recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to help reduce injury risk, such as an extra rest break or rotating workers to other jobs during the day. But the measures have not been widely implemented, and Reveal’s documents indicate that injury rates have continued to rise.
Amazon, in a statement to Reveal , said that “the use of robotics, automation and technology in our fulfillment centers is enhancing our workplace, making jobs safer and more efficient.”
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