All workers deserve to feel valued and their safety protected by their employers. Sadly, some Arizona employees are subject to unsafe working conditions that cause accidents and serious injuries. Amazon has been fined for that very issue.

Amazon found in violation of safety measures

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found tech giant Amazon to be in violation of the laws requiring safe working environments for its employees. Investigations into the company determined that workers in three warehouses face higher risks of repetitive motion injuries and other musculoskeletal injuries. Back injuries are also common in the facilities as the company pushes employees to work faster while disregarding their safety.

As a result of these findings, OSHA has fined Amazon more than $60,000. It also discovered that those in charge failed to report job-related injuries and illnesses that should require workers’ compensation benefits provided to employees.

Ongoing pattern of disregard for employee safety

OSHA’s investigation revealed that Amazon has an ongoing pattern of blatantly disregarding employee injuries on the job. Some of the most alarming include crushing and struck-by accidents and injuries and heat-related illnesses local to one specific warehouse facility.

Amazon has been found to neglect proper procedures for work-related injuries. Instead of sending workers to doctors immediately, it has its own on-site medical clinics for evaluation. However, injured employees are required to wait for three weeks before being referred to a doctor. Even those suffering from head trauma experienced delays in seeing doctors.

An Amazon spokesperson stated that the company disagreed with OSHA’s findings and that it takes employee health seriously. Injured workers might disagree with that statement. Regulators have also long found problems in the company’s warehouses; employees are required to work long shifts and have a much higher risk of repetitive stress injuries than those at other companies.