The US Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) wants Amazon companies to take on the lead work in ergonomics reform.
The e-commerce giant reached a settlement with OSHA related to various safety-related allegations the agency made against the company and has been fighting a legal battle since 2022.
Those allegations alleged that the company placed warehouse workers at risk of injury, particularly “serious lower back disorders and other musculoskeletal disorders,” due to the high pace of work and unsuitable working conditions. In exchange for Amazon's company-wide ergonomics upgrades, OSHA has agreed to withdraw nine out of 10 citations it issued. Amazon accepted the remaining citation OSHA issued to a warehouse in Illinois.
The company said the Illinois warehouse handles “large, bulky items such as furniture and televisions.” According to a statement from the company, it agreed to make changes to reduce risk factors related to warehouse ergonomics by “better enforcing our existing policies.”
Amazon has also agreed to pay a $145,000 penalty. That covers about 90 percent of the fines that OSHA says would have been issued for all 10 citations. The proposed fine for the alleged violations at the Illinois warehouse was $15,625.
In addition to the payout, the settlement requires Amazon to allow OSHA authorities to conduct surveillance inspections at the warehouses where the now-dropped hazards were originally identified.
Amazon has also agreed to improve ergonomics at its facilities across the country to prevent future injuries. According to OSHA, there must be “multiple methods for employees to communicate with Amazon about ergonomic concerns and possible solutions, including methods that allow employees to submit concerns anonymously if they wish.” Anonymous reports and complaints could help reduce fear of retaliation disperse.
Amazon is expected to maintain data about the effectiveness of its ergonomic practices at a number of the company's locations, including its fulfillment centers, sortation centers, delivery stations and other facilities under OSHA jurisdiction.
The overall comparison relates to company-wide requirements and initiatives at Amazon. Seema Nanda, the Labor Department attorney, said the fact that the giant agreed to company-wide improvements based on citations at just 10 of its myriad facilities represents progress for worker safety and rights.
“Company-wide settlements can be a critical tool to protect workers from health and safety violations because they protect most workers and can incentivize companies to address underlying problems.” This settlement requires Amazon to take action at the company level to ensure company-wide ergonomic requirements are effectively implemented in its warehouses across the country,” Nanda said in a statement.
She noted that if Amazon fails to meet the corporate-level requirements outlined in the agreement, the Labor Department can enforce the agreement in court.
If the two parties had not reached an agreement, the formal procedures would have begun in January 2025.
The settlement was announced Dec. 19, just days after a Senate investigation found that Amazon allegedly manipulated its data to make its warehouses appear safer than they actually were.
And OSHA says the settlement has no impact on the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York's investigation of Amazon into whether the company worked to hide its injury rates and other safety problems at its warehouses across the country .