- Workers' Compensation
There has been an increase in injuries for Amazon warehouse workers. Some have reported passing out, due to overheating while spending hours standing, crouching, and walking around the upper floors of extremely hot, non-climate-controlled warehouses.
According to a CNBC article, a physician who inspected Amazon warehouses for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that some Amazon workers were being discouraged from reporting injuries and seeking outside medical care.
These are clear examples of why Amazon workers who are suffering from an on-site injury should contact an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer.
High Injury Rates Reported
According to the official figures, Amazon, which operates dozens of warehouses around the country, had a serious injury rate of 7.7 per 100 employees in 2019. That added up to over 14,000 injuries nationwide. The average injury rate for companies that are equivalent to Amazon is nearly half that amount, or 7,000 overall and 3.5 injuries per every 100 employees.
So, the question is why does Amazon have such high injury rates? This powerhouse company is known for insisting that warehouse employees work at an extremely fast rate of speed. They only have so many minutes to find the next item on their scan gun, forcing them to move quickly. This, as well as the work, which involves a lot of crouching, stretching, and reaching repeatedly throughout a 12-hour shift, tends to lead to plenty of injuries including:
Amazon’s Investments in Safety Measures and Automation Haven’t Helped
In order to combat the number of workers getting hurt in Amazon’s factories, the company reportedly has made some changes. They introduced automation, which is supposed to make peak months, like those around the holidays and Amazon Prime Day, easier on employees.
Additional safety measures were added as well, like reaching devices and training in ergonomic movements, which were designed to keep some of those repetitive motion injuries from occurring. Despite these efforts, Amazon’s injury rate continues to rise as workers are injured almost daily, leading them to need to take time off of work to recover.
Filing Workers’ Compensation Claims
Employers are often responsible for injuries that happen on the job, and Amazon is no exception. If an Amazon warehouse worker slips and falls on a wet floor that has no caution sign, breaking their leg in the process, then the company may be liable for their lost salary and medical bills.
Other injuries, like sprains and strains caused by repetitive motions, such as crouching or reaching into bins to retrieve and process purchases, tend to be harder to prove, but this is not an impossible task when you seek the legal guidance of an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer.
Contact Our Work Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
If you have been injured on the job, whether you work for Amazon or another company, then you may qualify for workers’ compensation. With over 45 years of combined experience, our legal team can help you secure your rights, file your claim, and receive fair and proper treatment from those responsible for your injury.
At WorkInjuryRights.com, we understand that the process can be complex, so we try to make it as simple and stress-free as possible. To ease the financial burden of our clients, we also work on a contingency fee basis, so you don’t pay a dime until you have been awarded monetary compensation for your injuries.
Let our work injury lawyers fight for you. Contact us today for a free consultation.
