Are Amazon Warehouse Injuries More Widespread Than Thought? (yahoo.com) 58
According to Bloomberg the U.S. Labor Department's "OSHA" regulatory agency has "cited Amazon for exposing workers to ergonomic risks at several facilities." But how widespread is the problem?
29% of America's warehouse workers are working for Amazon, a team of researchers estimates. And "More than two-thirds of Amazon warehouse workers surveyed by researchers reported that they took unpaid time off to recover from pain or exhaustion sustained on the job." The new national study, published Wednesday by the University of Illinois Chicago's Center for Urban Economic Development, found that 69% of workers surveyed stayed home without pay to recover, including 34% who did so three or more times. The data suggests "injury and pain at Amazon are far more widespread" than previously known, said Beth Gutelius, research director at the center and a leading expert on logistics and warehouse work.
The report is based on a 98-question online survey that gathered responses from 1,484 warehouse workers in 451 facilities across 42 states, the researchers said. It was conducted between April and August and measured the percentage of workers who took time off during the previous month. Amazon employs hundreds of thousands of warehouse workers in the U.S.
Amazon spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel said the report was "not a 'study' — it's a survey done on social media, by groups with an ulterior motive." She recommended that people read the safety data Amazon submits each year to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "which shows that rates in our buildings have improved significantly, and we're slightly above the average in some areas and slightly below the average in others."
41% of the workers surveyed reported being injured while working at an Amazon warehouse, according to the article. And "the share rises to 51% for people who have worked at the company for more than three years."
29% of America's warehouse workers are working for Amazon, a team of researchers estimates. And "More than two-thirds of Amazon warehouse workers surveyed by researchers reported that they took unpaid time off to recover from pain or exhaustion sustained on the job." The new national study, published Wednesday by the University of Illinois Chicago's Center for Urban Economic Development, found that 69% of workers surveyed stayed home without pay to recover, including 34% who did so three or more times. The data suggests "injury and pain at Amazon are far more widespread" than previously known, said Beth Gutelius, research director at the center and a leading expert on logistics and warehouse work.
The report is based on a 98-question online survey that gathered responses from 1,484 warehouse workers in 451 facilities across 42 states, the researchers said. It was conducted between April and August and measured the percentage of workers who took time off during the previous month. Amazon employs hundreds of thousands of warehouse workers in the U.S.
Amazon spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel said the report was "not a 'study' — it's a survey done on social media, by groups with an ulterior motive." She recommended that people read the safety data Amazon submits each year to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "which shows that rates in our buildings have improved significantly, and we're slightly above the average in some areas and slightly below the average in others."
41% of the workers surveyed reported being injured while working at an Amazon warehouse, according to the article. And "the share rises to 51% for people who have worked at the company for more than three years."
What's the motive? (Score:4, Insightful)
Amazon spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel said the report was "not a 'study' â" it's a survey done on social media, by groups with an ulterior motive."
What's the motive? They wanna stop Amazon from abusing workers? Even if their only goal is to make the playing field more level for their own businesses without themselves having to use and discard employees as does Amazon, I'm here for them.
Re: What's the motive? (Score:2)
If you ever worked in a warehouse the type of injuries highlighted are easily avoidable. You would know that amazon warehouses are also shipping hubs and production hubs where the shipped units are built. All have different ergonomic stresses that should not mix. And likely an unrealistc quota system.
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The reported conditions in an Amazon workplace should have been investigated, and if the allegations were found to be correct, resulted in everyone from the lowest supervisory level to Bezos himself going to jail for crimes against humanity.
You do not exploit desperate people and actively make their lives worse.
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You had to have fucked up real bad to be desperate enough to work for Amazon. Real real bad to the point that Walmart and McDonald's won't even hire you.
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Amazon pays better than Walmart and McDonald's. That's how they get you in the door.
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Mcdonalds possibly but I doubt walmart, I think they're about neck and neck.
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You do not exploit desperate people and actively make their lives worse.
But, but, but... It's the American way! How do you think all those billionaires get so obscenely rich? By paying & treating workers fairly or something?
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Likely? I've yet to see any low end job that wasn't impossible to do safely and per regs by design, specifically so that management could lord the threat of firing over people's heads in both directions.
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Why even work there to begin with? My understanding is that even the engineering jobs there have dog shit work life balance. There's no way you can submit a job application to Amazon without being aware of what you're getting yourself into. I mean I get it if you just need resume filler, Amazon is a great company to claim to have worked for, but after you've served your sentence GTFO of there.
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Why even work there to begin with?
Because everybody needs to work whether it makes sense or not to appease the social masters, and there are only so many jobs to go around — far fewer than listed [wsj.com]. Because they have no useful skills, or because they have a criminal record that precludes more worthwhile employment. Because they are easily deluded and believed Amazon's propaganda [amazon.com]. Because they are easily deluded and were tricked into believing that you are your job. How many reasons do you want, I can imagine a few more for you.
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What social masters are you trying to appease?
You are so, so, so out of touch with the bulk of humanity.
If you don't need to actually work and you don't want to, then...don't.
And if you have no bread, eat cake.
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You are so, so, so out of touch with the bulk of humanity.
The bulk of humanity aren't slaves. You're the one telling me that you want to appease some master. A man chooses, a slave obeys. You can choose your lot in life, or you can just take whatever you're given and claim that you have no choice. All I've ever seen you do is display the latter, and then complain about it the whole time.
You're one of the people I was speaking about here:
https://slashdot.org/comments.... [slashdot.org]
I'm not a motivational speaker in the slightest bit, but you guys always make me feel like one b
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A man chooses, a slave obeys.
So you're choosing to be obtuse? Or are you a slave to your programming? Because you live way the fuck out in la-la land.
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Social masters such as who signs your pay cheque, who you make a cheque out to for your shelter, the bank or payday loan company that you owe money to is a start to the list. And remember, we're talking about America, one of the worst western nations for social/economic advancement, though the best for propaganda.
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Why even work there to begin with?
I don't know. Why don't you ask the ~1.5 million workers who are officially employed by Amazon but which doesn't include "subcontractors," i.e. people they treat even worse?
Yeah, but anyway. Stupid victims. It's their fault for working there. The supervisors should beat them all until morale improves.
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Amazon spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel said the report was "not a 'study' â" it's a survey done on social media, by groups with an ulterior motive."
What's the motive? They wanna stop Amazon from abusing workers? Even if their only goal is to make the playing field more level for their own businesses without themselves having to use and discard employees as does Amazon, I'm here for them.
So it doesn't matter that it's not a study?
What's the motive? I can think of like ten without even trying hard.
No (Score:2)
Slashdot collective thought is that amazon warehouse accidents are commonplace and probably under-reported.
So no, I don't think they are more widespread than any of us think. I think they are fairly regular.
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Re: US macho culture, you should see what people in the UK do instead https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2... [imdb.com]
But yeah, of course Amazon spends a lot of time, resources, & effort to extract the maximum possible work out of workers while minimising & hiding the "unpleasant" consequences of being the modern day equivalent of slave drivers. I mean, so
Amazon vending machines (Score:3)
According to On the Clock [amazon.com] by Emily Guendelsberger, Amazon knows that warehouse workers will injure themselves. So it gives out free painkillers in vending machines where you just swipe your ID card to obtain the painkillers.
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Has anyone here worked at Amazon recently? I've known more than a few ex-Amazon FC workers and none of them reported that.
People snorting coke in the bathroom? Sure. People opening up sex toys in the mods and playing with them? Yeah, that too. Plus lots of other "funny" stories. But free ibuprofen? Nah.
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Standardize vendor packaging (Score:5, Interesting)
The ONLY solution is robots. Full automation. 100%. All they have to do is tell all their product suppliers to prepackage items in standardized robot-friendly boxes -- with a QR-code or whatever.
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You mean "robotic mistakes" like these [slashdot.org]? Come on, who's cleaning up them now?
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Strangely enough, the URL got rewritten. youtube.com/results?search_query=warehouse+racks+collapse
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Try adding the prefix https://www. before the link so the comment parser knows it's an external link not a slashdot story.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=warehouse+racks+collapse [youtube.com]
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thanks. hm, I thought it used to work, but I don't post here that often anymore
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Humans, until robots can swap in new robots to each production line.
Don't worry (Score:2)
Those workers' injuries will be downplayed as well. You see as long as we put human welfare against money, despite all our misty-eyed anecdotes of triumph over the "system" and adversity (same?), love of or fear of losing money will win. It's a more immediate emotional satisfaction than building, and protect and empowering the future of our fellow humans. Kinda of like evolution didn't happen at all.
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Before it comes to that, you'll see a massive lobbying effort from all injured to have the government "protect there jorbs".
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Where did I even imply they should not? People have all the right to act as irrationally as they like. I'm the last one who'll try to prevent them.
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Amazon has been trying to do that for a long time. That doesn't mean I think they won't succeed, far from it in fact, only that this is already their goal.
Depending on robot-friendly packaging is probably not a workable idea, though. There's just too many different products and robot-friendly could mean too many different things. Also, it would benefit everyone else! Amazon has more money to spend, so robot-friendly packaging would help not just them, but also everyone else who would like to automate.
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No, they clearly haven't been leaning hard enough on retailers to make them switch. Look at their page on how to sell items on amazon, no mention of such a thing.
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So what you're saying is that Amazon doesn't want them to do that, possibly for the reason I described?
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No. My guess is that the organization structure is such that a strong executive didn't emerge to push that. They sort of had the right idea with their "frustration free packaging" push .. now called "certified packaging" .. but they are failing to pressure, motivate, or incentivize their suppliers enough. In fact they made it really difficult, instead of easy, to qualify for that. Reference: https://www.amazon.com/b?node=... [amazon.com]
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Are ergonomic injuries at warehouses widespread? (Score:3)
If people called out Amazon for being particularly dangerous, that would likely be dishonest. Amazon is big and fairly ubiquitous in the logistics space. Other warehousing companies - especially smaller ones - are far more-likely to have lax standards and/or unfollowed procedures.
Warehousing jobs are infamous for attracting people who can't pass a drug test or background check elsewhere. Imagine stoned forklift drivers collapsing in the seat from an overdose as their vehicle travels uncontrolled down an aisle between shelves. And no I'm not making that up.
The worst thing about Amazon is that they're more efficient than other companies in squeezing laborers. They'll give you 40 hours of work and make it feel like 80. It really comes down to their quota system, and how workers react to that. Calling them out for ergonomics is at best misguided. If you work in any kind of physical labor (warehouse logistics or otherwise), you will find plenty of businesses that fall on the unsafe side of things.
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Other warehousing companies - especially smaller ones - are far more-likely to have lax standards and/or unfollowed procedures.
That "both sides" argument sure does pop up again and again.
Comparing to the average when you're the biggest p (Score:5, Insightful)
Amazon represents 29% of warehouse workers in the US, according to the summary.
Saying "we're slightly above the average in some areas and slightly below the average in others" without acknowledging that your numbers have a massive influence on the average is disingenuous. Do not trust anything that person says.
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They make up 29% of the average, not 71%. If they're much worse or better than the rest of the field, that would still show up as a bigger difference from the averages.
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If a worker reports to work at Am
A class of worker (Score:2)
Don't worry! Robots are coming to replace these awful, awful jobs. Nobody need get bored, get carpal tunnel, get stressed out.
It also has the benefit there will be no monster class action suit for lawyers to take a third of $200 million, so awful are those jobs.
Awful. Just awful. Robots to the rescue of these awful jobs!
It's just an American thing (Score:3)
In Germany, France, Luxembourg etc, they stay home as well when sick, but on full pay.
Also, it won't be for much longer now, soon robots will replace them anyway.
As long as the packages arrive on time.. (Score:1)
Most people wouldnâ(TM)t care as long as their packages are on time.
Do most people care what happens in the factories where they phone is made or clothing?
Half of Amazon jobs are just disposing of bodies. (Score:2)
Perfect argument for automation (Score:2)
In the interests of worker safety, wherever possible the human jobs on the warehouse floor should be eliminated. Better to break a wheel than an ankle bone.
If you've never been a picker in a warehouse (Score:2)
You should try it just for the experience. Typically the pay isn't that great, warehouses not climate controlled so in the South, brutally humid and hot summers wear you down physically AND mentally, making mistakes more common. You are rated on your order pull numbers and constantly threatened with replacement if you can't keep your numbers up, benefits are usually slim to none, and yes, injuries were common. Saw a guy get buried under some heavy ass shit that fell over while I was trying to climb it and h
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While *he* was climbing up it, not I. Sigh.
let us praise our heroes! (Score:2)
Just like sailors of old facing the heaving seas, these teeming masses brave our new frontiers of efficiency and capitalism! So what if someone else gets a sprained leg or has to use a couple of piss jugs to make quota, when all of us can now choose to buy cheap shit from communist China overnight?!
The beauty of all this brings a tear to the eye.
more widespread than thought (Score:2)
Thought, it turns out, is not very widespread at all, so I'd have to say "yes."