OSHA Announces Citations for Ergonomic Hazards at Amazon Warehouse

The investigation centered on a fulfillment center in New Jersey.

  • By Robert Yaniz Jr.
  • Aug 07, 2023

Amazon is on the receiving end of more OSHA violations.

In a release dated August 3, the agency announced an investigation launched in January 2023 found that an Amazon fulfillment center in Logan Township, New Jersey, left workers vulnerable to ergonomic hazards. Because workers at the facility performed tasks that carried a high risk of serious musculoskeletal injuries, OHSA issued a citation amounting to $15,625 in penalties and released a Hazard Alert Letter to Amazon.

“The work done by Amazon employees in the company’s fulfillment centers is physically demanding, which makes the availability of proper medical care extremely important,” OSHA Area Director Paula Dixon-Roderick in Marlton, New Jersey, said in a statement. “Amazon needs to do more to protect the safety and health of its employees, including implementation of a companywide strategy to address well-known and preventable hazards.”

Moreover, Amazon failed to follow established processes designed to ensure injured worker received proper medical attention. As a result, OSHA issued a second Hazard Alert Letter. Previously in 2023, OSHA has issued six other citations to Amazon. These include Amazon facilities in Deltona, Florida and Castleton, New York in January 2023 and April 2023, respectively.

Amazon is currently the subject of 18 open federal inspections and sits at the center of an ongoing trial with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

Amazon now has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest OSHA’s latest findings.

About the Author

Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.

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