A news investigation into workplace accidents at Amazon warehouses revealed a culture of apathy regarding worker injuries leading to worker’s compensation suits. Many workers have come forward with stories of how they were mistreated by Amazon after sustaining workplace injuries. Some of them were even left homeless and unable to work after being fired from the company.
Amazon has quickly become one of the world’s largest retailers. There are over 140 Amazon fulfillment centers. The company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, was recently proclaimed the wealthiest person in history by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
However, not everyone at Amazon has benefitted from its success.
Amazon Worker Woes Injuries Lead to Worker’s Compensation
One Amazon worker was left homeless after a workplace injury when she injured her back while counting goods on a workstation. She was using a tote bin in place of a missing brush guard, which was supposed to prevent products from falling onto the floor. According to the employee, she was continually sent home without pay by Amazon management, and given nothing more than a heating pad to treat her back.
After finally getting on workers’ compensation, she returned to work, only to injure her back again on the same workstation, which was still missing the brush guard.
The Amazon employee claims that after being dropped as a patient by Amazon’s workers’ compensation insurer, Amazon offered her a week of paid leave for her ordeal. She also rejected a $3,500 buyout offer that would have prohibited her from speaking out against the company. She says she refused to sign the non-disclosure agreement, so she could inform others about Amazon’s mistreatment of her case.
Amazon’s Continuing Issues Safety & Health Issues
Amazon also recently faced a lawsuit by a former employee who hurt his back on the job. The employee says he was told that he was too young to have back problems, and was fired before he could see a doctor. Another former Amazon employee who suffered a permanent back injury at work claims they refused to give her the workers’ compensation paperwork, and that she only received five of her 26 weeks of workers’ compensation.
Yet another former Amazon employee re-injured his knees, after his supervisor put him on full duty, despite the doctor’s recommendation that he be placed on light duty. Amazon refused to pay for his medical fees or issue workers’ compensation, despite an MRI showing that the worker tore his meniscus while working for the company.
Amazon Named ‘One of The Most Dangerous Places to Work’
In April 2018, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health listed Amazon in its “dirty dozen” most dangerous places to work in the United States, due to its lack of concern for the safety of its employees, failure to report job injuries, and overall pattern of unsafe working conditions.
Amazon was investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for various issues and safety violations in their warehouses going back to 2011. OSHA also fined Amazon for failing to report worker injuries in 2016.
Can I Sue Amazon For My Work Related Injury?
You can’t sue Amazon, however you will be able to fight for workers’ compensation benefits.
If you are an Amazon employee and were involved in an accident at work that was not your fault, you should consider seeking legal assistance to find out if you qualify for workers’ compensation. Some scenarios that may qualify for workers’ compensation include:
- Employees that were injured on the job
- Employees that were injured on the job and unable to return to work so are losing pay
- Employees that were fired due to their work related injury
- Employees that were forced to work in unsafe conditions
In order to file a workers’ compensation claim, you will need to prove your work related accident and/or the unsafe conditions in which you were working.
What Unsafe Conditions Qualify For a Workers’ Compensation Claim?
At Amazon, some employees describe the work conditions to be grueling and unsafe. Some unsafe work conditions and work-related accidents that Amazon employees have been subjected to include:
- Truck and lift accidents
- Falling equipment/items
- Forklift accidents
- Conveyer belt malfunctions
If you are an Amazon employee that has been subjected to these unsafe conditions, contact the Larry Pitt Law Firm today at 888-PITT-LAW to learn more about filing a workers’ compensation claim.
Amazon’s COVID-19 Outbreaks
Upon being named one of the most dangerous places to work, Amazon proved this title to be accurate as countless Amazon employees contracted the COVID-19 virus as a result of the company not providing proper sanitation equipment and PPE such as gloves, masks, and even hand sanitizer. Various Amazon plants throughout the country have been forced to shut down due to severe outbreaks of the COVID-19 virus within their facilities.
Due to the copious outbreaks and infections that Amazon employees were subject to, many employees that were impacted by the unsafe work conditions have started to file lawsuits against Amazon.
Can I Sue Amazon for Unsafe Working Conditions Due to COVID-19?
If you were an employee of Amazon during the COVID-19 pandemic and were impacted by an outbreak in the plant you were working in, you might be able to file a lawsuit against Amazon.
If the facility in which you were working was not following the correct health guidelines or protocols, or it was not providing the right safety equipment, you may require legal assistance to receive the financial compensation you may be entitled to. In addition, if you brought these concerns to your manager or supervisor, and the concerns were ignored, it may be worth your while to seek legal assistance.
Or, if you were an employee that missed work due to the COVID-19 virus that you believe you contracted at work and you were forced to miss out on pay, you may want to seek legal assistance.
Unsafe Work Conditions at Amazon
Many Amazon workers reported that the facility where they were working did not follow the right sanitation guidelines and protocols to prevent outbreaks of the COVID-19 virus. These unsafe work conditions put employees’ health in danger and are likely the reason that there have been so many outbreaks in Amazon facilities.
If you were an Amazon employee and have been subjected to any of the following unsafe work conditions, you may be entitled to financial compensation:
- Lack of PPE, personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves
- Lack of disinfectants such as hand sanitizer and soap
- Employes ignoring rules of social distancing
Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at Larry Pitt & Associates, P.C. Help Injured Workers Recover the Compensation They Deserve
If you were injured in an accident at an Amazon fulfillment center or any other workplace, contact an experienced Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyer at Larry Pitt & Associates, P.C. You may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to cover the cost of your medical bills, lost wages and other expenses associated with your work injury. We represent clients in Berks County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County and throughout Pennsylvania. For a free consultation, call us at 888-PITT-LAW or complete our online contact form.
