Amazon and OSHA Reach a Settlement Weeks Before Scheduled Trails

After a lengthy investigation and considerable back and forth between the two parties, Amazon and OSHA have reached a settlement amounting to $145,000 in penalties. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was charged with looking into complaints of workplace safety violations across Amazon facilities, particularly the 10 in New York, Florida, Idaho, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and New Jersey, that were cited in the settlement.

The review was initially expected to result in trials in 10 cases between January and June 2025, but to avoid prolonging the issue, Amazon agreed to a corporate-wide settlement agreement. 

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Amazon’s OSHA Settlement Leaves It with $145,000 in Penalties

The Amazon-OSHA settlement is expected to “help better protect employees from hazardous working conditions leading to serious lower back and other musculoskeletal disorders at Amazon facilities,” according to the government agency. 

The allegations regarding Amazon’s hazardous work conditions have been under investigation by OSHA at the 10 facilities mentioned earlier since 2022. OSHA is withdrawing 9 of the 10 citations levied against Amazon, with the company agreeing to one citation at its MDW8 facility in Illinois.

Amazon also released a statement on the matter, explaining “Today, OSHA agreed to withdraw all but one of the ergonomic citations it issued to us, concluding its investigation. The settlement comes just months after a judge in Washington state dismissed similar claims against Amazon brought by the state’s safety regulator.” 

The statement goes on to explain that “there isn’t a claim of wrong-doing on Amazon’s part for the withdrawn citations, nor a directive to adopt new safety controls.”

Worker Safety Measures to Be Prioritized by Amazon

Apart from the $145,000 penalty, Amazon also has to adhere to a safety agreement that requires it to assess ergonomic risks presented to employees at the 10 facilities at the center of this case, as well as in all its other warehouses. 

The company has to take action at the corporate level to regularly assess risk and implement controls meant to reduce ergonomic risk. Amazon will also be required to have a designated Site Ergonomics Lead, who can conduct the risk assessment and alert the organization when intervention is necessary. 

The e-commerce giant will have to establish and oversee multiple channels for employees to be able to communicate with the company and explain their feedback regarding ergonomic issues and potential solutions to the problem. To wrap it all up, the Amazon-OSHA settlement also states that the company will have to provide OSHA with on-site access whenever requested, to allow the administration to conduct its own assessment. 

The OSHA Agreement Puts an End to Only One Part of the Problems Faced by Amazon

The agreement is valid for a two-year period although either party may seek to terminate it after the first year. OSHA also notes that this settlement doesn’t impact the investigation that is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York, where the company has been accused of disguising the true extent of the injury rates at the warehouses in the region.

The warehouse conditions at Amazon have always been a central point of discussion and when paired with topics like a demand for better wages and benefits, has led to union protests against the organization. The Teamsters Brotherhood had kickstarted a strike against the company on December 19 after threatening to do so if the company failed to come to the discussion table by December 15.

While the worker safety measures promised by Amazon are a good sign, we’ll also have to keep an eye on how the protests unfold in the coming days.

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