New York prosecutors working with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have opened a probe into workplace conditions inside Amazon warehouses on the fringes of New York City, Chicago and Orlando.
Confirming the investigation, chief spokesperson of the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York Nicholas Biase said: “The Civil Division of the SDNY is investigating potential worker safety hazards at Amazon warehouses across the country, as well as possible fraudulent conduct designed to hide injuries from OSHA and others.”
Amazon has routinely been criticised for its subpar workplace conditions.
An investigation by the Strategic Organizing Center discovered that nearly one in five delivery drivers suffered workplace injuries in 2021, while warehouse injury rates increased by over 40% compared to 2020.
Amazon managers have been accused of pressuring workers into bypassing safety protocols, according to a CNBC report, while the e-commerce behemoth's one-day shipping policy has been blamed for serious injuries and even deaths.
New York workers made waves in April after a group led by Chris Smalls successfully strongarmed the world’s fourth-largest corporation into recognising the Amazon Labor Union.
Amazon workers are urged to report information relating to workplace safety, time quotas and other related issues to the US Department of Justice via an online form.