Behind your speedy Amazon delivery are serious hazards for workers, government finds

In this Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017, photo, an Amazon employee makes sure a box riding on a belt is not sticking out at the Amazon Fulfillment center in Robbinsville Township, N.J. Amazon failed to properly record work-related injuries at warehouses located in five states, a federal agency said Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, while announcing it issued more than a dozen citations during the course of its ongoing investigation of the company. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Federal safety inspectors have concluded that the twisting, bending and long reaches that Amazon warehouse workers perform as much as nine times per minute put them at high risk for lower back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders and constitute an unacceptable hazard.

As part of a larger investigation into hazardous working conditions, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced on Wednesday it has cited Amazon for failing to keep workers safe at warehouses in Deltona, Florida; Waukegan, Illinois; and New Windsor, New York.

“While Amazon has developed impressive systems to make sure its customers’ orders are shipped efficiently and quickly, the company has failed to show the same level of commitment to protecting the safety and wellbeing of its workers,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker.