A study published in April 2022 by the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), a coalition of four major labor unions, indicates that although online retailer Amazon employed approximately 33% of warehouse workers in the United States, the company was responsible for 49% of warehouse injuries. What does this statistic mean for California warehouse workers?
Most warehouse injuries are serious
The SOC report indicates that an overwhelming majority of warehouse injuries that qualified for workers’ compensation were serious, where employees could no longer perform their jobs or had to miss work due to their injuries. Amazon’s rate of severe warehouse injuries was 6.8 for every 100 workers, while other facilities had a rate of 3.3 injuries for every 100 warehouse workers.
Amazon has come under increasing scrutiny over the workplace conditions experienced by its employees. The online retailer’s workplace safety has come under scrutiny in several areas, as workers in New York City have voted to unionize to achieve safer working conditions, while the Department of Labor and Industries in Washington State has issued a willful severe citation and a $60,000 fine to Amazon, citing that the company knowingly put its employees at risk in violation of workplace safety laws. A June 2021 SOc report noted that Amazon warehouses also tend to be more dangerous than other facilities.
Receiving compensation for workplace accidents
If you are injured in a workplace accident, whether at an Amazon warehouse or any other facility, you are entitled to pursue compensation if your injury is due to unsafe working conditions. If you are injured in a warehouse or any other type of workplace accident, you may be entitled to compensation that includes medical costs, transportation to and from your doctor, and two-thirds of your weekly income for the time you are unable to work.
Workers’ compensation laws are complex in California. In addition, insurance companies will often fight you every step of the way to prove that the injuries you suffered are your fault. Keeping thorough documentation on your injuries and any subsequent treatment can help you in your quest to obtain the compensation you deserve.
