Amazon Reaches Settlement to Resolve Federal Safety Accusations

Source: New York Times

Dec. 19, 2024, 5:14 p.m. ET


Federal health and safety regulators announced a corporatewide settlement with Amazon on Thursday, bringing an end to cases involving accusations of safety violations at 10 warehouses in several states.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration had cited Amazon for exposing workers to elevated risks of joint and soft-tissue injuries. The agency had said the injury risks were tied to the pace at which workers lifted items, the body movements required to lift the items and the weight of the items.

Under the settlement, OSHA agreed to withdraw citations at nine of the 10 warehouses. At the 10th warehouse, which handles bulky products like televisions and furniture in Illinois, Amazon agreed to pay a fine of $145,000, up from the $15,625 the agency initially proposed.

The agency said the settlement committed Amazon to regularly assessing the injury risk faced by employees nationwide, and to putting in place pilot programs to address these risks as needed. “This settlement requires Amazon to take action at the corporate level to ensure corporatewide ergonomic requirements are effectively implemented at its warehouses,” said Seema Nanda, the Labor Department’s solicitor.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/business/amazon-settlement-osha.html