For many years, Amazon has been a popular E-commerce company known for its reliable same-day delivery and attractive deals during events like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Christmas. However, it has come to light that Amazon’s in-house clinics have reported injuries suffered by employees during an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). According to Jordan Barab, a former assistant secretary at OSHA:
“What some companies are doing, and I think Amazon is one of them, is using their own clinics to ‘treat people and send them right back to the job, so that their injury doesn’t have to be recordable.”
Many employees in Amazon’s warehouses are forced to return to work even when they are suffering from work-related injuries. This is because the current system does not provide them with proper medical care, which puts them at risk of further harm.
Even if an employee is sent to one of Amazon’s clinics, they are often sent back to work without receiving adequate treatment. When employees seek medical attention outside of Amazon’s clinics, the company often disregards doctors’ orders in order to keep their employees working. This practice is still prevalent in several warehouses across America, including those in Albany and Maryland.
While Amazon continues to deny these allegations, 11 Medical Representatives from AmCare, Amazon’s onsite first aid clinic, confirmed the health risks that employees undergo while working at the warehouses, which have led to their long-term suffering despite utilizing “in-house treatment.”
“When we’re in ambulances as EMTs, the entire point is to get people to definitive care. Then I get to Amazon, and it’s like, ‘No, we’re not getting them to a doctor’. So what did you need me for? I’m the person who gets people to doctors.”
Nevada AmCare EMT
Amazon has supported its actions by claiming that AmCare staff don’t have the ability to diagnose or treat injuries. Due to this, they don’t “intentionally” discourage receiving medical care if needed. Global online shopping could be negatively impacted by the continued abuse of employees who would eventually have to quit because of their severe injuries. If this isn’t changed, the platform that we know today might not exist in the future.
Written by Milanni Contreras
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