Dozens of UK Amazon workers have suffered serious injuries, sparking union outrage

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Dozens of Amazon workers in the UK have suffered serious injuries in recent years, requiring blindness or amputations, according to new evidence, prompting renewed calls for the ecommerce giant to improve its treatment of vulnerable workers.

The 2.4tn big tech group and related entities reported 119 serious injuries from work-related accidents to the country’s workplace health and safety regulator between 2019 and 2024, according to a response to a UK freedom of information request by the Financial Times.

According to the data, Amazon workers suffered 106 broken bones, lost consciousness on eight occasions, at least three fingers were amputated and two eyes were blinded.

Casualty roles include warehouse and sorting associates, delivery drivers, engineering practices and safety coordinator.

The estimated average number of non-fatal workplace injuries per 100,000 workers in 2023/24 is 1,890, according to the UK Health and Safety Executive.

However, the figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request by Amazon only cover so-called “specified injuries,” which are limited to certain serious cases rather than all non-fatal injuries.

Using figures provided by the HSE, Amazon said: “To suggest that our workplace is dangerous is completely incorrect – the opposite is true.” The company In 2022, the rate of damage was measured against national data, he said, “50 percent less damaged than the rest of the transportation and warehousing sector.”

Founder Jeff Bezos By 2021, the company promises to be “the best employer and safest place to work on Earth.”

But union leaders have repeatedly raised concerns about Amazon’s safety record. Earlier this year, GMB senior organizer Stuart Richards tried to force the group Accreditation for the first time for an association in the United KingdomThe new damage data “reveals a serious catalog of issues,” he said.

“It’s time for Amazon’s bosses to take the health and safety of their workforce seriously,” Richards added.

Damage data released under a Freedom of Information request by the FT showed that the rate of serious damage to its network was at a six-year low, while the number of workers more than doubled over the same period, Amazon said.

However, the figures for 2024 do not cover the whole year, for example the Christmas season, which is among the busiest business periods.

“We are proud of our work environment and encourage everyone to visit our site and see for themselves the safe and modern workplace we offer,” Amazon added.

Employers and other responsible persons in the workplace are required to report certain injuries to the HSE as a result of work-related hazards. The employment status of injured persons includes workers, self-employed and those employed by others.

Amazon reported five occupational disease diagnoses during the same period, including tendonitis, skin disease and disease caused by occupational exposure to biological agents. But the Seattle-headquartered company has not reported any deaths from work-related accidents in the UK over the past six years, the HSE said.

Martha Darke, co-director of technology campaign group Foxglove, said some staff across Amazon’s UK business were “being hit hard”.

“The data from the US shows that the speed of work that Amazon demands from its workers – especially in robotic warehouses – is the main driver of workplace injuries and forces workers to work faster than it is safe,” she added.

Amazon said that “robotics can help reduce injuries” because it reduces the need for workers to perform repetitive or difficult tasks, and the company has allocated $750mn this year to improve workplace safety. “Security is a critical area where robotics will make a big difference,” he added.

Richards from the GMB said he was also concerned that “official statistics are only telling part of the story”, as the union said accidents and injuries were “not properly managed” and that workers were sent home in taxis rather than taxis. “Send to hospital by ambulance.”

Amazon responded: “Don’t be fooled, we always call an ambulance when our colleagues need it in an emergency, work or work-related incident.” Yes, taxis were used to take the workers home or to the hospital, but is that really what you should be doing? “

The HSE said in a statement that “the majority of work-related incidents at Amazon warehouses occur at fulfillment centers controlled by local authorities” and that the regulator “takes action” when it finds breaches of health and safety laws in workplaces falling under enforcement.

Data visualization by Jana Tauschinski