Amazon Prime Day, a 48-hour event filled with discounts and deals, has been identified as a significant contributor to worker injuries, as per the findings of a Senate investigation. The Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee recently released the interim results of a year-long inquiry into Amazon’s warehouse working conditions. The investigation coincided with Amazon’s annual Prime Day sales event. According to internal data provided by Amazon from Prime Day 2019, the total injury rate was reported to be close to 45 injuries per 100 workers, which translates to nearly half of the company’s warehouse staff. This revelation led Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the HELP committee, to criticize Amazon for its treatment of workers and their safety.
The report highlighted that Amazon’s warehouses were understaffed during Prime Day and the holiday shopping seasons, placing workers in perilous situations by forcing them to handle increased workloads without additional support. An internal Amazon document titled “2021 Prime Day Lessons Learned” disclosed that the company fell short of meeting its hiring targets by only achieving 71.2% between May and June of 2021. Amazon’s spokesperson, Kelly Nantel, defended the company’s position by stating that the report ignored the progress Amazon has made in improving workplace safety. Nantel argued that the report drew inaccurate conclusions based on unverified anecdotes and misinterpreted outdated documents containing factual errors and flawed analysis.
Despite facing criticism and federal investigations over workplace safety violations, Amazon has asserted that it has made substantial improvements in its injury rates. The company reported a 28% reduction in incident rates requiring more than basic first aid and a 75% decrease in lost time incidents, which involve more severe injuries prompting an employee to miss work for at least a day. Amazon announced plans to invest over $750 million in safety initiatives in the current year to enhance worker safety further. In an effort to address safety concerns, Amazon has begun automating certain tasks and introducing more robotic systems in its warehouse facilities to improve safety measures, although the effectiveness of such initiatives remains a topic of debate.
While Amazon has made claims of progress in addressing worker safety concerns and reducing injury rates, the findings of the Senate investigation suggest that there are lingering issues surrounding the treatment of employees during high-demand periods like Prime Day. The company’s response to these challenges will be crucial in shaping its reputation and ensuring the well-being of its workforce in the future.