Amazon faces major investigation

Amazon's warehouse working conditions have come under increasing scrutiny after repeated safety issues, including a warehouse collapse that killed a worker.

According to foreign media reports, Amazon has become the center of a congressional investigation led by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Sanders, chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), spoke to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy through a letter, saying that Amazon's extreme pursuit of profits has caused warehouse workers to be in an unsafe working environment for a long time, and medical conditions cannot be guaranteed.

Sanders believes that Amazon is well aware of the dangers that can occur in warehouses, the impact on workers' lives if they are injured, and what measures can be taken to reduce the risk of injury to warehouse workers. However, Amazon has been slow to take measures to protect workers because the corporate culture created by Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos and his successor as CEO is to treat employees as replaceable.

However, Amazon spokesman Steve Kelly denied Sanders' statement, saying that the company's investment in warehouse safety has reached nearly US$1 billion since 2019. During this period, the number of injuries to warehouse workers in the United States has decreased by 23%. Amazon is very concerned about the safety and health of its employees.

In addition to the Senate investigation, Amazon also faces an ongoing probe by U.S. federal regulators into its warehouse safety record.

It is understood that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Attorney's Office are currently investigating Amazon's warehouse work, and the U.S. Department of Justice is also investigating whether there is any false reporting of data on Amazon's worker injury rates.

Amazon said it has made breakthrough progress in strengthening the safety of its warehouses in the United States and will increase investment in safety initiatives, projects and programs in the future. At the same time, Amazon has also appealed a series of subpoenas issued by OSHA in recent months regarding Amazon's safety hazards and violations.

In addition to its investigation into Amazon’s warehouse safety, the HELP Committee also pays close attention to on-site records at other companies’ workplaces.

In March, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said Sanders had repeatedly criticized Starbucks' handling of employee unionization.

At the same time, Sanders has often criticized Amazon's labor practices. In May 2022, Sanders hosted a hearing of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee and invited Bezos to discuss the company's treatment of unions.

If the safety of Amazon warehouses cannot be guaranteed, it will be detrimental to the company itself. Amazon should learn from this and strengthen its people-oriented awareness to ensure the safety of warehouse workers.

Amazon

Warehouse safety