Amazon isn’t the only company guilty of establishing unreasonable and unsafe “picking and lifting” productivity measures for their warehouse workers in order to earn greater profits, either by avoiding the hiring of adequate staff, or, failing to train workers in safe, (and required), lifting techniques. I’ve studied this area of worker injury in several warehouse environments and have found through personal observation and conversations with management / supervisory staff that unsafe picking / lifting by workers is ignored in favor of putting more orders out the door (profit enhancement) in many of the environments studied.
Low paid warehouse workers are sometimes viewed as “disposable” resources as well. I’m not a socialist, but, in my view, these environs tend to be non-union shops for the most part where workers just don’t have an adequate advocate for their health and safety.
Amazon isn’t the only company guilty of establishing unreasonable and unsafe “picking and lifting” productivity measures for their warehouse workers in order to earn greater profits, either by avoiding the hiring of adequate staff, or, failing to train workers in safe, (and required), lifting techniques. I’ve studied this area of worker injury in several warehouse environments and have found through personal observation and conversations with management / supervisory staff that unsafe picking / lifting by workers is ignored in favor of putting more orders out the door (profit enhancement) in many of the environments studied.
Low paid warehouse workers are sometimes viewed as “disposable” resources as well. I’m not a socialist, but, in my view, these environs tend to be non-union shops for the most part where workers just don’t have an adequate advocate for their health and safety.