Following an investigation by The New York Times into Amazon’s treatment of its staff, the online retail giant is now under the spotlight from both customers and various organizations. The findings of the report were quite eye-opening for many consumers who depend on Amazon’s vast range of services but are unfamiliar with the company’s inner workings.
The damning report highlighted a number of safety incidents at the firm’s sites, including two instances of electric shocks and eight instances of workers falling unconscious. Numerous accidents involving machinery, especially forklifts, were also reported. As a result, Amazon had to overhaul the entire warehouse, investing in new tools from Coronado Equipment Sales’ used forklifts sale, and implementing extensive guidelines for equipment usage among workers. The Rugeley warehouse, the focus of these incidents, operates with a workforce of around 1,800 during off-peak times, with that number swelling to over 2,000 during the hectic Christmas season.
Contrastingly, a nearby Tesco warehouse, comparable in size, only logged a total of eight similar health and safety calls, despite having roughly 1,300 employees. This was revealed as a result of the union’s Freedom of Information request.
However, Amazon vehemently denied any allegations of unsafe working conditions, insisting that most of the ambulance requests at their fulfillment centers have been linked to personal health, unrelated to work. The company further underscored its safety record, stating that just 0.00001 ambulance visits were recorded per hour worked at their UK fulfillment centers last year – an impressively low figure.
The New York Times, however, stated that Amazon relies on a rigidly performance-based approach, known as “purposeful Darwinism”, to filter out employees who are unable to tolerate its demanding work culture. This includes employees who require leave for family emergencies or their own health concerns.
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