The US Department of Labor has disclosed that a corporate-wide settlement has been reached between Amazon and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) aimed at enhancing employee safety from serious musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), including lower back injuries, across Amazon’s facilities.
The settlement concludes the department’s extensive ergonomic-related legal actions against Amazon.com Services, marking OSHA’s first significant multi-location inquiry in more than ten years.
The settlement comes ahead of scheduled trials for ten cases before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, set to take place between January to June 2025.
OSHA Assistant Secretary Douglas Parker stated: “This corporate-wide settlement agreement focuses on improving conditions for several hundred thousand Amazon workers nationwide.
“The agreement requires Amazon to assess ergonomic risk across its facilities, including through annual updates, and investigate and implement controls to reduce ergonomic risk. The ball is in the company’s court. OSHA stands ready to work with their ergonomics team to evaluate their progress and verify the commitments they made to OSHA.”
The Solicitor’s Office, with the New York regional office as the lead, has been involved in litigation with Amazon regarding these matters since 2022.
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Amazon is mandated by the agreement to implement corporate-level ergonomics protocols across its facilities included in the settlement. The provisions extend to all Amazon fulfilment centres, sortation centres, delivery stations and other relevant operations within federal OSHA’s jurisdiction.
The agreement also introduces an alternative dispute resolution mechanism designed to promptly address and remedy ergonomic concerns reported by employees. OSHA’s initial pursuit was for nationwide corrective measures — a goal supported by an OSHRC judge’s ruling in 2023 that allowed OSHA to seek such widespread relief.
Additionally, the agreement formalises ergonomic safety steps already taken by Amazon at locations previously cited by OSHA for related hazards in 2023.
Biannual meetings between the parties are planned to review data on MSD injury trends, progress on pilot projects addressing ergonomic risks and details of Amazon’s company-wide ergonomics programme.
Amazon will incur a penalty of $145,000 — more than 90% of what was originally levied by OSHA in ergonomics-related citations.
Key commitments within the agreement are:
– The formation of a corporate ergonomics team responsible for risk assessments and piloting engineering controls.
– Appointment of site ergonomics leads (SELs) at each location to conduct site-specific risk assessments — updated annually or upon changes increasing risk — and implement appropriate controls.
– Comprehensive ergonomics training for SELs, site-level safety staff and workers.
– Multiple channels for employees to report ergonomic issues confidentially if they choose.
– Regular evaluations of compliance with the corporate-wide ergonomics programme through analysis of training adherence and site assessments.
The agreement also lists specific ergonomic improvements implemented at local sites by Amazon. The term of the agreement spans two years with an option for either party to request termination after one year.
This settlement does not affect an ongoing investigation by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York into whether Amazon has been concealing actual injury rates and workplace safety hazards at its warehouse facilities nationwide.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has launched a nationwide strike against Amazon after the company repeatedly refused to negotiate better working conditions.
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