Amazon’s annual Prime Day event is raising significant concerns about worker safety, as revealed by a recent investigation conducted by the US Senate. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions has found that Amazon warehouses become particularly hazardous during Prime Day and the holiday season, periods marked by intense work demands and high injury rates.
The investigation, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, has spotlighted the dangerous conditions faced by Amazon warehouse employees during these peak periods. The committee’s report underscores the “extremely unsafe conditions” within Amazon’s warehouses, which are exacerbated during Prime Day, held annually in July, and the holiday season.
Prime Day, which occurs on July 11 and 12, has been identified as a major cause of injuries among warehouse workers. The report reveals that during Prime Day 2019, the rate of “recordable” injuries—those required to be reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)—exceeded 10 per 100 workers. This figure is more than double the average injury rate in the US warehousing and storage industry. When including injuries not required to be reported to OSHA, Amazon’s total injury rate approached 45 per 100 workers.
Despite the company’s substantial revenue, the report criticizes Amazon for failing to adequately address these high injury rates. During Prime Day 2023, Amazon achieved record-breaking sales, totaling $12.7 billion, with July 11 marking the single largest sales day in the company’s history. For the first quarter of 2024, Amazon reported a profit of $10.4 billion. This financial success contrasts sharply with the unsafe working conditions reported in the Senate’s findings.
Amazon’s response to the Senate report emphasizes its commitment to employee safety. The company has reported a 28% reduction in recordable injury rates in the US since 2019. Amazon insists that it carefully plans and staffs its warehouses to handle peak periods and maintains excess capacity to manage unexpected increases in volume. However, the report suggests that these measures have not sufficiently mitigated the risks faced by workers.
Worker experiences during Prime Day and other peak periods have been described as grueling, with long hours and intense pressure to meet high productivity targets. The warehouses, some as large as 28 football fields, are equipped with rigorous tracking systems that monitor employees’ every move. This pressure contributes to the unsafe working conditions highlighted in the investigation.
Sen. Bernie Sanders has previously called on Amazon to improve its treatment of workers, criticizing the company’s approach to handling worker injuries and the intense surveillance that enforces high productivity rates. According to Sanders, Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profits often compromises worker safety, providing minimal medical care for those injured on the job.
Amazon holds Prime Day in July each year to boost sales during traditionally slow summer months. The Senate’s findings cast a spotlight on the challenges faced by warehouse workers during this critical sales period, emphasizing the need for Amazon to address the reported safety issues and improve working conditions.
As Amazon continues to expand its operations and achieve record sales figures, the Senate’s investigation underscores the urgent need for the company to prioritize worker safety and address the hazardous conditions in its warehouses.
