Latest OSHA Data Show a 53 Percent Rise in Injuries to Nebraska Amazon Workers

­Key Findings

An analysis of the latest available data self-reported by Amazon to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) shows:

Injuries Increased 53 Percent at Amazon Facilities in Nebraska from 2020 to 2021

• The injury rate for workers at Amazon’s warehousing and logistics facilities in Nebraska rose by 53 percent from 2020 to 2021—from 7.5 per 100 full-time equivalent workers (FTEs) in 2020 to 11.4 per 100 FTEs in 2021.[1] The spike in injury rates corresponds with Amazon reinstating its productivity quotas and disciplinary policies in the fall of 2020 after their temporary suspension at the start of the pandemic.[2]

Nebraska Amazon Workers Injured at Double the Rate of Non-Amazon Warehouse Workers Statewide

• Amazon workers were injured at a significantly higher rate than their counterparts at non-Amazon warehousing and logistics facilities statewide.
• The injury rate for Amazon warehousing and logistics workers was double the injury rate for workers at non-Amazon warehousing and logistics facilities in 2021. Amazon workers in Nebraska were injured at the rate of 11.4 per 100 FTEs, while non-Amazon workers had an injury rate of 5.7 per 100 FTEs.

Amazon Workers Suffered the Most Serious Types of Injuries at a Higher Rate than Non-Amazon Workers

• All the injuries suffered by Nebraska Amazon workers in 2021 were serious enough to require not only medical attention, but also time off work or light duty accommodation. By comparison, only 76 percent of injuries at non-Amazon facilities required time off from work or a light duty accommodation.
• Workers at Amazon facilities in Nebraska sustained injuries which require time spent recovering away from work at more than triple the rate of employees at non-Amazon establishments across the state (6.9 per 100 FTEs for Amazon workers compared with 2.0 per 100 FTEs at non-Amazon warehousing and logistics facilities statewide).
• Relatedly, the number of days away from work employees spent recovering from workplace injuries was more than double among Amazon workers than non-Amazon workers statewide. The total number of days spent away from work after a serious injury was 225.8 days per 100 FTEs for Amazon workers compared with 103.8 days per 100 FTEs for non-Amazon workers.

Nebraska Amazon Workers are Injured at a 44 Percent Higher Rate than Amazon Workers Nationally

• The injury rate at Nebraska Amazon warehousing and logistics facilities was 44 percent higher than the nationwide injury rate for Amazon warehousing and logistics facilities. The injury rate for Nebraska Amazon workers was 11.4 per 100 FTEs compared with 7.9 per 100 FTEs for Amazon workers nationally.[3]

Endnotes

[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Nebraska injury rates reported in this brief are based on an analysis of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Injury Tracking Application data, for the years 2020 and 2021, available at https://www.osha.gov/Establishment-Specific-Injury-and-Illness-Data. These data are self-reported by companies to OSHA. Companies are required to report any work-related injuries that require medical attention, and whether the injury caused workers to miss days of work or require a job transfer. The term, “warehousing and logistics” refers to establishments that fall under the following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes: 492110, 493110, 493120, and 493190.

[2] CNBC (October 2020). “Amazon has resumed policies that penalize workers for taking too many breaks, just in time for Prime Day.” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/14/amazon-resumes-policy-that-dings-workers-for-taking-too-many-breaks.html

[3] The Strategic Organizing Center (April 2022). “The Injury Machine: How Amazon’s Production System Hurts Workers.” https://thesoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/The-Injury-Machine_How-Amazons-Production-System-Hurts-Workers.pdf