Amazon has become the world’s largest online retailer and forever changed how we shop online. The company started as a small online bookstore and has now grown to become the second-largest employer in the United States. Much of the company’s success has stemmed from its ability to simplify delivery logistics to offer same-day and next-day delivery to its customers.
However, as the demand for faster delivery has increased dramatically over the years, it puts added pressure on Amazon employees to meet and exceed quotas. Amazon’s focus on speed and efficiency comes at a cost to their employees’ health and safety. If you or a family member were injured while working at Amazon, contact a Sacramento Workers’ Compensation Attorney as soon as possible. We have represented many Amazon employees who have been hurt on the job, and we will help you receive the compensation you deserve.
Amazon ships billions of items yearly, most of which come from one of Amazon’s 175 fulfillment centers. The 855,000-square-foot Sacramento Amazon fulfillment center, also known as Amazon SMF1, employs around 1,000 employees, stores more than 4 million items, and ships hundreds of thousands of orders per day. However, Amazon SMF1 also had one of the worst injury rates in the United States compared to other Amazon warehouses. With 385 injuries reported at Amazon SMF1 just in 2018, it is apparent that injuries at Amazon warehouses are a problem.
Amazon fulfillment center employees often have to compete against each other to see who fills purchases the fastest and work as much as twelve hours a day to complete their quota. You can be fired if you need to work faster or meet your quota. Workers used to be expected to scan 180 items an hour; however, expectations have now risen, and now most employees are required to check one product every 12 seconds or 300 items an hour.
Many of the job tasks that Amazon fulfillment center employees have to complete and the fast pace they have to meet them significantly increase their chance of injury. Employees must constantly be bending, lifting, and squatting when packing and sorting orders and reaching when placing or removing items on the conveyor belts. These constant physically demanding movements increase employees’ risk of developing repetitive strain trauma and back, neck, or shoulder injuries.
Trip and fall injuries are prevalent as employees navigate boxes and other items around them. It is also common for Amazon employees to have to climb a ladder to find products, which also increases the risk of employees falling. Often, forklifts and pallet jacks are being operated and transporting heavy objects that may fall, causing an employee to sustain a traumatic injury. These are just some of the many injuries that can occur when working at an Amazon fulfillment center.
You have the right to compensation if you or a loved one has been injured while working at Amazon. From filing a claim to completing your Independent Medical Evaluation, your Sacramento Workers’ Compensation Attorney will help you through every step of the workers’ compensation process. Do not hesitate and receive your free consultation today.