A news investigation into workplace accidents at Amazon warehouses revealed a culture of apathy regarding worker injuries. 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.

Worker Woes

One worker was left homeless 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 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.

Further Worker Woes

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’s Continuing Issues

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.

Philadelphia Work Injury 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 work injury 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.