Amazon Workers Compensation – Employees Lawyer
AMAZON WORKERS COMPENSATION
LAWYER FOR EMPLOYEES
THIS WEBSITE IS THE PRODUCT OF A WORKERS COMPENSATION ATTORNEY AND IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY WORKERS COMPENSATION INSURER. FURTHER IT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE STATE OF MARYLAND NOR ANY GOVERNMENT ENTITY WITHIN THE STATE OF MARYLAND. Information contained herein is provided for informational purposes and expresses opinions and information best known at the time it was written. This information and does not create an attorney to client representation.
If you have been injured on the job while working for Amazon, or at an Amazon facility Workers Comp attorney Andrew M. Rodabaugh can help.
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Amazon Workers Compensation
The retail giant providing fast, cheap products delivered to our doorsteps makes life much easier for many Americans, however it is at a societal cost. As a workers compensation attorney I see clients injured while working in Amazon warehouses on a regular basis. The fast paced physical employment leads to injuries, many of which can be avoided at a low cost to Amazon. A cost much lower than the cost of paying out on a workers compensation claim.
THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF INJURIES AMAZON WORKERS SUSTAIN THAT RESULT IN A WORKERS COMPENSATION CLAIM
Back injuries at Amazon
- A large majority, at least from what I see, of work place injuries leading to Amazon workers compensation involve the back. Amazon employees are regularly injuring their backs while working in the fulfillment centers. Back injuries often result from prolonged twisting, bending, and lifting products of various shapes and sizes. Apparently Amazon employees are required to move or package a certain number of products or boxes each hour. These quotas result in vigorous and repetitive work through out the entire work day. Even relatively minor back injuries can be physically debilitating for a short period of time. Amazon employees are left to choose no wages or to file a Amazon workers compensation claim to seek benefits.
- Amazon package delivery drivers are required to pick up products at one of the various fulfillment centers and make deliveries to household consumers. Again, this is a job that requires lifting of various sized boxes with various weights. I have been told that as an amazon employee driver you arrive at the fulfillment center and pickup a large bag of products that are to be delivered at various locations. The different orders are packaged together in one bag allowing the driver to grab numerous orders at once and start delivering. These bags of orders can have substantial weight to them and can lead to Amazon employees injuring their back. Amazon employees with major back injuries have very few choices but to file a Amazon workers compensation claim.
Shoulder injuries at Amazon
- With any physical job shoulder injuries can be a risk. Shoulder injuries can be serious and usually these employees with shoulder injuries are left to file an Amazon workers compensation claim. Amazon pickers are no exception. Amazon pickers injure their shoulders on occasion when pulling and placing packages from various heights. Packages are moved through the facility and pickers are required to grab packages from different bins at different levels. The bins of different sizes are to accommodate packages of different sizes. Sometimes over sized packages are jammed into a smaller bin, presumably because the employee was rushing to meet his or her quota, which leads the employee on the receiving end with a struggle to remove the package. The aggressive pushing, maneuvering, and twisting to remove the package results in a shoulder injury to the Amazon picker.
Amazon employees injure their lower extremities which can lead to workers compensation claims
- The route cause of this seems to be the pace that is required of the Amazon employee. Any employee under stress to work at an increased pace is likely to take an occasional miss-step. Trips, slips, and falls occur at Amazon centers across the nation- leading to Amazon workers compensation filings.
- Lower extremity injuries are not limited to in warehouse Amazon employees. Amazon delivery drivers, and sub-contract drivers are encouraged to get the packages delivered timely. The pressure and anxiety for Amazon drivers may lead to temporary lapses in judgement an auto accidents. These sub-contractors may have no choice but to file a claim for Amazon workers compensation if they do not have health insurance to pay for treatment otherwise.
AMAZON WORKERS COMPENSATION INCLUDES “AMCARE”
What is Amcare?
Amcare is a medical facility within Amazon fulfillment centers which provides immediate care to Amazon employees that are injured while working. Once a work injury is reported to an Amazon supervisor they employee is sent to Amcare fore treatment.
Does Amcare provide quality healthcare?
This is best answered by a medical professional suited to state what quality healthcare standards exist today. As an attorney I can not indicate one way or the other. It is usually best for an injured worker to seek a second opinion regarding what treatment is necessary.
Do Amazon workers compensation victims have to treat at Amcare?
Under Maryland workers compensation law work injury victims can choose to treat with any doctor they choose so long as the doctor accepts workers compensation insurance. As a side note, some employers require the employees to also be seen at a facility of their choosing, like Amcare, as a condition of employment and continuing employment.
WHAT CAN AMAZON DO TO LOWER THE RISK OF INJURIES AND PREVENT THE FILING OF AMAZON WORKERS COMPENSATION CASES?
Provide Safety Devises for employees to reduce workers compensation claims at Amazon.
I am confident but not certain that back injuries at Amazon are the number 1 source for workers compensation cases. In an attempt to determine if Amazon provides their employees back braces I did a google search. I was not able to determine this because almost all listings were Amazon selling back braces. A back support brace similar to the ones Home Depot supplies their employees can be bought at Amazon for less than $12.00. Like back braces, 0ther supportive devises could be mandated by Amazon which would cut back on injuries, and Amazon workers compensation expenses. Supportive shoes for long days on the concrete, gloves, glasses, and more well known safety products should be mandated by Amazon. If prevention of injury to Amazon employees, and reduction in Amazon workers compensation exposure is a goal for Amazon then these devises are small step to take.
Reduce or manipulate Quotas for employees to reduce workers compensation claims at Amazon.
An increase in production may lead to an increase in profit however that profit is then offset, in part, by the cost of the increase in production. In Amazons’ case their mode of operation is production based. However the quota based system and its gross earnings are offset by workers compensation payments made by Amazon. Making adjustments to the required quotas could lead to the same gross earnings without a substantially lowered offset from Amazon workers compensation expenses.
Amazon is very much a production based operation and making changes to a system that has thus far worked is not likely. However, it seems that Amazon has not closed the door on the idea of changes to production completely with the recently released information that the are testing the use of robots to box orders.
This will certainly lead to less workers compensation cases among Amazon workers, unfortunately it is speculated that it will also lead to less jobs at Amazon.
AMAZON IS LOVED BY SOME AND HATED BY OTHERS. SOME CHANGES CAN BE MADE IN THE WAY AMAZON PROCESS’ WORKERS COMPENSATION CASES WHICH WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO AMAZON AND THE EMPLOYEES
The Amazon lovers:
One of the biggest problems with Amazon’s workers compensation claims process is that they do not offer light duty for employees that have been injured on the job. With a little bit of thought and ingenuity Amazon could retain the good employees injured on the job and save on workers compensation expenses by providing a alternative duty job offer. In the process, those working for Amazon that are looking to manipulate the workers compensation system will become apparent when they refuse to work a Reasonable light duty job.
Multiple passed client have indicated that they enjoyed working for Amazon and were very dissatisfied that they were not able to return to work on an altered light duty shift. In some cases this resulted in the injured Amazon employee having to quit their job and seek employment elsewhere. This lack of concern seemingly exhibited by Amazon management no doubt leads to some Amazon workers injured on the job to seek legal representation which ultimately costs Amazon more during the workers compensation process. Even those unhappy employees who do not seek out a workers compensation attorney for their Amazon injury may resort to other avenues or recourse which ultimately cost Amazon more money in one way or the other.
The Amazon haters:
There is an organization that operates as The Former and Current Employees (FACE of Amazon). There website can be found here and after a cursory review seems to provide a hundreds of comments by current and former employees and their negative experiences at Amazon. Included is a section of what employees experienced after being injured on the job at Amazon.
Some further commentary, opinion peaces, media, and research documents regarding Amazon workers compensation can be found below.
- National Counsel for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) names Amazon as one of their “dirty dosen” who put workers at risk. (COSHnetwork.org)
- Injured Amazon employees in Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, California ( credit The Guardian.com)
- California Amazon employee injured while working for Amazon (Credit MotherJones.com)
- Are the working conditions at Amazon causing pyschological injury to workers? (credit Vox.com)
- Is Amazon reporting work place injuries fairly and accurately? (TheSeattleTimes)
If you have been injured on the job while working for Amazon, or at an Amazon facility Workers Comp attorney Andrew M. Rodabaugh can help.
Call Us, Click to email or Fill out the Form below!
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