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By Natalie Venegas
Weekend Reporter
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Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders offered sharp criticism of Amazon on Tuesday, calling working conditions at the company "incredibly dangerous."
The Democrat made the comments in a statement addressing a report released on Monday ahead of Amazon's "Prime Day" two-day sales event that began Tuesday. The report stems from a year-long investigation by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which is chaired by Sanders, and it highlights significant safety concerns at Amazon's facilities across the United States.
The investigation looked at internal company data from 2019 and 2020, as well as drew from interviews with over 100 current and former Amazon employees. According to the report, peak shopping periods such as Prime Day and the holiday season corresponded with the highest weekly injury rates among warehouse workers.
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"The incredibly dangerous working conditions at Amazon revealed in this investigation are a perfect example of the type of corporate greed that the American people are sick and tired of," Sanders said in a press release. "Despite making $36 billion in profits last year and providing its CEO with over $275 million in compensation over the past three years, Amazon continues to treat its workers as disposable and with complete contempt for their safety and wellbeing."
Newsweek reached out to Sanders' office and Amazon via email on Tuesday for comment.
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In his statement, Sanders added that what was found in the investigation "is unacceptable and that has got to change. Amazon must be held accountable for the horrendous working conditions at its warehouses and substantially reduce its injury rates."
According to the report, Prime Day and holiday season are often when the e-commerce giant receives significantly more orders than it does during other periods. The report contends that as a result of the higher amount of orders, Amazon "ignores critical safety protocols" by requiring warehouse workers to "move faster and work both longer shifts and additional shifts."
During the 2019 Prime Day event, there were 45 injuries per 100 workers, the report said. These injuries ranged from minor bruises and cuts to severe concussions.
"These injury rates are especially egregious in light of the incredible revenue the company generates and the resources it has available to make its warehouses safe for workers," the report said. "Prime Day and the holiday season are characterized by extremely high volume and intense pressure to work long hours and ignore safety guidelines."
In addition, the report also accused Amazon of failing to refer injured workers for outside medical care to avoid classifying injuries as "recordable" under Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Instead, workers would allegedly often receive first aid before being sent back to work.
Amazon disputed the findings of the report in a statement provided to the Associated Press (AP).
"The claims that we systemically underreport injuries, and that our actual injury rates are higher than publicly reported, are false," Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in the statement. "We're required to report every injury that needs more than basic first aid, and that's what we do."
In addition, the AP reported Nantel acknowledged occasional clerical errors but denied any intentional underreporting. The spokesperson noted that a six-month OSHA investigation found "no intentional, willful, or systemic errors" in Amazon's reporting.
While Amazon has previously admitted to higher injury rates in its warehouses compared to industry peers, Nantel criticized the Senate report for not acknowledging the progress Amazon has made since 2019, including a 28 percent reduction in recordable incidents and a 75 percent improvement in the rate of significant injuries requiring missed workdays.
"We've cooperated throughout this investigation, providing thousands of pages of information and documents," she said, according to the AP. "Unfortunately, this report ignores our progress and paints a one-sided, false narrative."
However, this is not the first time Amazon has been confronted with concerns about worker safety.
Labor unions and safety experts have previously criticized the company for prioritizing speed and efficiency over worker safety. Some states have even enacted laws to limit productivity quotas in warehouses, a practice Amazon denies employing.
In addition, the company has faced fines from federal safety investigators and inspections prompted by referrals to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
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