ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — St. Peters Amazon warehouse worker Yvonda Clapton will present a safety study at an annual shareholders meeting Wednesday.
Last month, Clapton and other Amazon workers marched to demand safer drinking water at the St. Peters facility. On Black Friday, workers went on strike in an effort to win higher wages and better working conditions. Now, they are delivering a petition demanding an independent audit of Amazon warehouses.
The petition, signed by more than 400 workers, additionally urged Amazon to implement safer work rates, more break time and Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety recommendations.
For years, Amazon warehouse staffers have complained about unsafe working conditions and the injury risks they face when rushing to fill packages and get them to customers in two days or less.
While Amazon claims its injuries are down, OSHA said facility-level data released earlier this year shows that Amazon workers were injured at a rate of 6.9 employees for every 100 in 2022.
At some Amazon warehouse locations, the rate was as high as 12 workers out of 100. But according to Amazon self-reporting, the company's injury rate across all worldwide operations dropped nearly 24% from 2019-2022.
An Amazon spokesperson said, “The safety and health of our employees is, and always will be, our top priority, and any claim otherwise is inaccurate.”
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