Amazon delivery is a part of our everyday life, at least for most of us here in Indiana and Illinois. The company offers a huge range of products that can arrive, in many instances, via “same day delivery” or within a two-day delivery window. Of course, in order to provide such a fast response to customer orders, Amazon must coordinate its inventory storage, shipping, transport, and distribution to maximize efficiency. Key to these logistics: having localized warehouses around the country that are ready to meet demand.
In an earlier discussion of Amazon’s activities here in our area, we reported that in December 2021 Amazon was operating eighteen (18) warehouses in Illinois and planning to build more. At that time, Amazon had eleven (11) warehouses in Indiana with expansion in the works for a new Amazon warehouse in Elkhart. For more, read: Fatal Industrial Warehouse Accidents in Indiana and Illinois.
Amazon as an employer within the warehousing industry is huge in Illinois and Indiana. BigRentz, using October 2020 Census data, found Illinois to rank third (3rd) in the country for Amazon warehouse space, surpassed only by Texas and California.
Continuing OSHA Investigations into Amazon Warehouse Safety
Less than six months ago, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OSHA”) published formal safety citations against Amazon for what were found to be threats of “serious physical harm” to its warehouse workers. The specific Amazon facilities included its Waukegan, Illinois, facility as well as Amazon properties in Deltona, Florida and New Windsor, New York.
For details, read “A Damning US Report Lays Bare Amazon’s Worker Injury Crisis,” written by Anna Kramer and published in Wired on January 18, 2023, which notes that OSHA had also cited Amazon in December 2022 “… for failing to record and report work injuries and illness.” Importantly, this news story also includes interviews with Amazon warehouse workers who gave their own descriptions of the hazardous work environment they face on the job.
The following month, OSHA issued another series of citations to Amazon for warehouse worker safety failures in its warehouses located in Aurora, Colorado; Nampa, Idaho; and Castleton, New York. Read, “Amazon cited by Labor Department for second time in a month over warehouse injuries,” written by Annie Palmer and published by CNBC on February 1, 2023.
These are far from the only OSHA investigations into Amazon warehouse worker dangers. Consider, for instance, the August 2022 investigation opened by OSHA after three warehouse workers died on the job within a shocking three-week time span at three different Amazon facilities located in New Jersey. Read, “Three NJ Amazon warehouses. Three weeks. Three worker deaths. Now, OSHA is investigating,” written by John Conrad for USA Today Network and published by MyCentralJersey on August 9, 2022.
And of course, there was the earlier OSHA investigation into an Amazon warehouse in Illinois that collapsed during a tornado with OSHA finding that the facility “met minimal safety guidelines for storm sheltering” even though six Amazon warehouse workers died in that event. For more, read “No OSHA Penalties for Amazon After Tornado Killed 6 Working in Warehouse,” written by Patricia McKnight and published by Newsweek on April 26, 2022.
Also see: Local Amazon Warehouses Under Federal Investigation for Both Worker Dangers and Fraudulent Conduct.
How Dangerous Is It to Work in an Amazon Warehouse?
Warehouse work can be deadly. Only this month, tragedy came to a Hoosier family as an Amazon warehouse worker perished in a work accident that has been ruled accidental by the Allen County Coroner. Indiana OSHA as well as the Fort Wayne Police Department still have open investigations.
According to media coverage, on May 8, 2023, the 20-year-old Amazon warehouse employee suffered a fatal blunt-force trauma while operating a piece of heavy machinery (lift) and trying to fix a conveyor jam. For more, read “Death at Smith Road Amazon warehouse is ruled accidental,” published by Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly on May 10, 2023.
Warehouse Hazards: Catastrophic Injuries or Death in a Warehousing Accident
Warehousing is recognized as being one of the most dangerous and deadly places to work for any worker in the United States. Warehousing together with transportation ranked as the third (3rd) highest industry for worker death rates in the country according to data compiled by Illinois’ respected National Safety Council.
Hazards and risks that warehouse workers must face each day on the job include things like:
- Motor vehicle accidents working with forklifts and industrial trucks;
- Injuries sustained when operating or being near to failing or flawed industrial machinery;
- Lockout-tagout failures;
- Lack of protection or supervision for lone workers in the facility; and
- Falls from scaffolds, cranes, loading docks, shelving, etc.
Bodily harm in a warehouse accident may involve:
- Loss of use of hand, arm, foot, leg
- Amputation of finger, hand, arm, foot, leg
- Internal injuries involving permanent harm to internal organs or nervous system
- Permanent disfigurement and scarring
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Death.
For more, read our earlier discussion in Warehouse Accidents: Workers in One of the Deadliest Jobs in Indiana and Illinois.
Amazon Warehouse Workers Hurt or Killed on the Job
With Indiana and Illinois being so centrally located within the continental United States, trade routes have long ago been established here which continue to flourish. As our society evolves to use more and more product delivery services like those provided by Amazon, it is wise for Amazon to place so many of its warehouses and distribution facilities in our area.
However, with this growth and evolution within the logistics industry, anyone working in a local warehouse must understand the very real dangers they face each day on the job. This is true for any warehouse or storage facility. When that warehouse worker is employed by Amazon, then there must be an appreciation of the continuing media coverage of OSHA investigations into worker safety at these facilities.
In any serious or fatal warehouse worker accident in Illinois or Indiana, state laws provide potential avenues for justice to that worker and their loved ones not only through workers’ compensation but also by negligence, product liability, premises liability, and wrongful death laws.
Some investigations may find liability lies with third parties who contributed to the incident, such as the company responsible for the repair or maintenance of a forklift or the shipper who failed to properly load or pack cargo causing it to shift and become a safety hazard.
For more on warehouse worker injuries, read:
- Deadly Dangers Rising for Warehouse Workers in Indiana and Illinois
- Job Site Injury in Illinois or Indiana: When Accidents at Work Are Not Worker’s Compensation Claims.
Warehouse workers who are hurt in an on-the-job accident while working in an Amazon warehouse here in Indiana or Illinois need to know they are working in an industry recognized as being very dangerous and that if there is an accident, they and their family members may have legal claims for damages under state or federal law. Please be careful out there!
