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☆ Federal regulators tell Amazon that the 'gamification' of its warehouses contributes to a 'high risk of serious' injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon was cited again by federal regulators alleging its warehouse workers face "high" injury risks. Regulators said a "gamification system" encouraged working at a fast pace that could pose injury. Amazon said it is cooperating with investigators and that it has worked to lower injury rates. In a letter targeting the warehouse in Idaho, OSHA said Amazon should change its "gamification system to eliminate incentives for excessively paced work." In recent months, Amazon has been hit by similar OSHA citations relating to injury risks facing workers, and to how it tracked and monitored those injuries.

☆ Amazon cited by Labor Department for second time in a month over warehouse injuries
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Federal safety inspectors on Wednesday issued citations against Amazon at three of its warehouses for putting workers at risk of serious injury, the second such penalty in a month. The move comes after OSHA last month cited Amazon for failing to keep workers safe at three other facilities. "Amazon's operating methods are creating hazardous work conditions and processes, leading to serious worker injuries," said Doug Parker, assistant secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, in a statement. Amazon also faces a separate investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office's civil division that centers around worker safety hazards at the e-retailer's facilities nationwide. As part of the probe, investigators are also looking into whether Amazon has accurately reported worker injuries and if it misrepresented those injuries to lenders to obtain credit.

☆ Alec Baldwin, armorer to be charged over 'Rust' shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will be charged on Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Western "Rust" in 2021, a New Mexico prosecutor said. A sheriff's office investigation has yet to reveal how live ammunition got onto the set outside Santa Fe. Legal analysts have said prosecutors will struggle to win convictions without proof Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed knew live ammunition was present but took no precautions. Live ammunition is strictly forbidden on sets. The armorer testified to New Mexico's worker safety agency (OSHA) on Dec. 7 that the shooting might have been prevented had she had more time to train Baldwin.

☆ Baldwin charged for 'reckless acts' leading to 'Rust' shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Baldwin and set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were each charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Baldwin's case is remarkable in that there is little or no precedent for a Hollywood actor to face criminal charges for an on-set shooting. A statement of probable cause by the prosecution's special investigator, Robert Shilling, made clear Baldwin was being charged as an actor and producer on the low-budget movie. Videos from inside the church prior to the shooting show Baldwin with his finger on the trigger, Shilling said. [1/6] Actor Alec Baldwin departs his home, as he will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie "Rust", in New York, U.S., January 31, 2023.

☆ Dollar General hit by more worker safety fines at Florida, Alabama stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Dollar General has been hit with more fines for worker safety violations, this time for issues at three Southeast stores amounting to $387,000, the Department of Labor said Thursday. Dollar General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past 11 months, dozens of similar violations were identified at 19 stores in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, the agency said. In August, Dollar General was hit with nearly $1.3 million in fines for similar violations at three of the company's Georgia locations. In August, rival Dollar Tree was also fined $1.2 million by OSHA for worker safety violations.

☆ Federal government investigating possible human trafficking of children who cleaned slaughterhouses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Laura Strickler | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

There is no indication DHS is investigating the company that hired the children, Packers Sanitation Services Inc., or PSSI, for human trafficking. The Labor Department’s Child Labor Regulations designate many roles in slaughterhouse and meatpacking facilities as hazardous for minors. The Labor Department says its investigation, which began in August, is ongoing as it scours company records from 50 locations. I don’t anticipate unless there are severe ramifications for this that it will actually change policies.”The Labor Department has issued no penalties or fines to date. Labor DepartmentQuestions about child labor at PSSI in Grand Island and Worthington are not new.

☆ U.S. agency says Amazon.com exposed workers to safety hazards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File PhotoNEW YORK, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A U.S. government agency on Wednesday issued citations against Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) for failing to keep warehouse workers safe, by exposing them to ergonomic hazards that resulted in serious injuries. The agency said workers at the Florida facility were also exposed to "struck-by" hazards, where merchandise that was unevenly stacked or not secured was susceptible to collapse. Doug Parker, the head of OSHA, said Amazon's processes were "designed for speed but not safety, and they resulted in serious worker injuries." Amazon has said it invests hundreds of millions of dollars annually to ensure worker safety. Safety concerns, including after the deaths of six workers when an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, collapsed during a December 2021 tornado, have helped spur union campaigns at Amazon warehouses across the country.

☆ US Labor Department accuses Amazon of failing to keep warehouse workers safe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Amazon has been accused by federal safety regulators of failing to keep warehouse workers safe from workplace hazards at three US facilities, in the latest example of government officials scrutinizing the e-commerce giant’s labor practices. The Department of Labor said Wednesday that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Amazon and issued hazard letters related to injury risks from workers lifting packages after inspecting three warehouse facilities in Deltona, Florida; Waukegan, Illinois; and New Windsor, New York. An Amazon spokesperson said the company “strongly” disagrees with OSHA’s claims and intends to appeal. “We’ve cooperated fully, and the government’s allegations don’t reflect the reality of safety at our sites,” Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, told CNN in a statement Wednesday. But Amazon is also known for carefully tracking worker productivity and for working conditions that have been called “grueling.”“We have to keep up with the pace,” Jennifer Bates, an Amazon warehouse employee who helped organize a union push at an Alabama facility, said in testimony before the Senate Budget Committee in 2021.

☆ Amazon cited by Labor Department for exposing warehouse workers to safety hazards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations against Amazon at three of its warehouses for exposing workers to safety hazards, the department announced Wednesday. Amazon also faces a separate investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office's civil division that centers around worker safety hazards at the e-retailer's facilities nationwide. Amazon warehouse workers have previously complained that the company's pace of work prevents them from taking adequate bathroom and rest breaks, and leads to unfair disciplinary actions. In April, workers at an Amazon warehouse on New York's Staten Island voted to form the company's first U.S. union. Workers at another Staten Island facility rejected a union, while a second election at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama is being contested.

☆ Amazon is breaking the law by putting warehouse workers at risk for back and joint injuries, federal regulators say in new citations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Federal safety regulators fined Amazon $60,269 for putting workers at risk for back, joint injuries. Injuries linked to the "high frequency" of "repetitive tasks" at Amazon warehouses, regulators said. The citations are the latest in a series of regulatory actions targeting Amazon's warehouse injuries. Workers at Amazon warehouses are four times as likely to suffer such injuries as workers in non-Amazon warehouses, a review of Washington state workers' compensation data showed. Federal safety inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited three Amazon warehouses, in Florida, Illinois and New York.

☆ American Airlines retaliated against cabin crew who reported illnesses caused by toxic fumes on aircraft, say federal investigators
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

American Airlines retaliated against employees who reported work-related illnesses, per the DOL. Cabin crew said they were discouraged from reporting illnesses after jet fumes entered the cabin. In a statement, the Department of Labor (DOL) said flight attendants reported worker illnesses to the airline caused by jet fuel fumes seeping into aircraft cabins. But an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) — initiated by a whistleblower tip-off — found that upon reporting these illnesses, the airline retaliated against employees. The effects on passengers of toxic jet fumes entering the cabin are unclear.

American Airlines illicitly retaliated against flight attendants who reported toxic fumes entering airplane cabins, according to an investigation by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). According to a whistleblower investigation initiated in August, the Texas-based carrier responded to the flight attendants' complaints by docking attendance points and discouraging them from reporting work-related injuries and illnesses. "The fact that American Airlines is assigning points that can lead to termination for lingering effects of toxic fume inhalation and other work-related injuries is unacceptable," the association said. In a statement, American said: "The safety of our team members and customers is always American’s top priority. We are reviewing the findings of the OSHA investigation."

☆ Labor Department Issues Citations Against Amazon Over Warehouse Injuries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Sebastian Herrera | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon has faced inquiries in recent years over workplace protocols and safety at its facilities. Federal authorities have issued citations against Amazon.com Inc. at six of the company’s warehouses for failing to adequately report injuries. The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, issued citations on Thursday after conducting workplace safety inspections at Amazon facilities outside of New York City: Albany, N.Y.; Denver; Boise, Idaho; Chicago and Orlando, Fla., according to a spokesman from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. OSHA investigated after it received referrals for potential workplace hazards that included Amazon’s required pace of work for employees.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a part of the Labor Department, said it had cited Amazon for 14 separate recordkeeping violations, and the company faces $29,000 in fines. OSHA fines generally cannot exceed about $14,500 per violation, and are often much lower for recordkeeping violations. The company's safety record came under renewed scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic and after an Illinois warehouse collapsed during a tornado last year, killing six workers. OSHA said on Friday that Amazon had failed to keep proper records at a warehouse near Albany, New York, where workers in October voted against joining a union. Washington state's labor department in March fined Amazon $60,000 for violating workplace safety laws by requiring warehouse employees to perform repetitive motions at a fast pace, increasing their risk of injury.

☆ Amazon slammed by US government for failing to record warehouse-worker injuries. The investigation is ongoing.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US government is investigating Amazon warehouses in five states. Federal regulators slapped Amazon with 14 citations for failing to record workers' injuries. The company's self-reported data to the Department of Labor shows that Amazon warehouse employees get hurt roughly twice as often, on average, as non-Amazon workers in the same industry. One worker at an Amazon warehouse in Colorado, for instance, reported shoulder pain after repeatedly lifting packages. Following referrals from the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, the Department of Labor began investigating the Amazon warehouses this summer.

☆ A topless bar unlawfully fired strippers after they complained about unsafe working conditions, labor board finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Star Garden bar strippers were unlawfully fired, the National Labor Relations Board said . They dancers said they worked in unsafe conditions including rat infestations and rusty nails. The group of strippers were blocked from working at the Star Garden in February and have since been staging regular demonstrations outside the venue. They claimed that Star Garden committed 30 breaches of OSHA regulations that "protect workers' rights to safe and healthy workplaces." The women submitted a petition in March calling for the Star Garden to treat them with "basic dignity and humanity."

☆ Construction workers who helped build Tesla's gigafactory in Austin file complaints claiming unpaid wages and fake workplace safety certifications
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Construction workers who helped build Tesla's gigafactory in Austin filed multiple workplace complaints on Tuesday. Workers accused their subcontractors of withholding wages and failing to keep workers safe, documents say. The construction workers accused their subcontractors — those who employed and paid the workers — of withholding wages from some workers, according to a complaint sent by an attorney at the Workers Defense Project, the nonprofit that's representing the construction workers. Even so, this isn't the first time that Tesla has faced complaints about its working conditions. The construction workers are seeking to recover their lost wages, according to the complaints.

☆ A foundry worker on his 9th day in the job fell into a vat of molten iron and was 'immediately incinerated'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A foundry worker in Mapleton, Illinois, died in June after falling into a vat of molten iron. Federal investigators say inadequate safety protections may be to blame for the worker's death. They proposed a fine of $145,027 for foundry operator Caterpillar. The worker was "immediately incinerated" in the incident, which occurred in June, per the Department of Labor. Federal investigators say that inadequate safety protections may have contributed to the worker's death and propose to fine the foundry operator Caterpillar of $145,027.

☆ Food sanitation company accused of employing at least 31 children on graveyard shifts in slaughterhouses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

A leading sanitation company is accused of employing dozens of children to clean the killing floors of slaughterhouses during graveyard shifts, the Department of Labor announced. The Department of Labor’s Child Labor Regulations designates many roles in slaughterhouse and meatpacking facilities as hazardous for minors. That order requires PSSI to “immediately cease and refrain from employing oppressive child labor” and comply with the Department of Labor’s investigation. Yet, the children working overnight on the kill floor of these slaughterhouses cannot wait,” the complaint states. When they are hired by PSSI, workers sign paperwork assuming the risk of death and injury on the job, NBC News reported last year.

☆ The US never banned asbestos. These workers are paying the price.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Kathleen Mcgrory | Neil Bedi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +39 min

But protocols failed to match reality at the Niagara Falls plant, according to more than a dozen workers. In addition to those signature diseases, which are rare even among asbestos workers, the tiny strands can harm the body in other ways. In the 15 years that followed, congressional attempts to ban asbestos would continue to fall short. OSHA declined to make an official available for an on-the-record interview or comment on ProPublica's findings at the Niagara Falls plant. At the OxyChem plant in Wichita, union president Keith Peacock said he was comfortable with the way asbestos was handled.

☆ SpaceX was fined more than $18,000 after an incident that put one of Elon Musk's workers in a coma for months
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

SpaceX was fined just over $18,000 following an accident at its facility in Hawthorne, California. Elon Musk's firm was charged with two violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said in an accident investigation summary that it fined SpaceX $18,475 for two safety violations following the incident, which was first reported by Semafor. The engineer was Francisco Cabada, a father of three from Los Angeles, former SpaceX intern Julia CrowleyFarenga told Insider. In the investigation summary, OSHA said he was performing checks on a Raptor V2 engine in January when he "suffered a skull fracture and head trauma and was hospitalized in a coma for months."

☆ Abbott plans new $500 million infant formula facility as shortage continues
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Katherine Dillinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Abbott Nutrition plans to build a $500 million nutrition facility for specialty and metabolic infant formulas, Chairman and CEO Robert Ford said Wednesday. The announcement comes as the US formula shortage continues and experts have called for more domestic production and diversity among suppliers. “We’re currently in the final stages of determining the site location and will work with regulators and other experts to ensure this facility is state-of-the-art and sets a new standard for infant formula production. More than 40% said they had only a week’s supply or less on hand. “We also boosted production in our global network to increase infant formula supply to the US.

☆ Why the 'Amazonification' of startups isn't always a good thing
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Plus, we've got news on actual robots, who are threatening to pit humans against machines. That's not always a good thing. Companies love to hire Amazon alumni who inject their firms with Jeff Bezos' metrics-focused style. Amazon-trained leaders (sometimes known as "Jeff Bots") have founded more than 650 startups, and swaths have joined the industry's top C-suites, contributing to the "Amazonification" of said firms. Now, humans need to determine how to synchronize our labor with the souls of new machines — before things get out of hand.

Circuit Court of Appeals in New York reversed a federal judge's ruling that said only the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had the power to review complaints about Amazon's workplace safety practices. The case involves workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island that employs about 5,000 people and had become the company's first unionized facility earlier this year. On Tuesday, workers at an Amazon warehouse near Albany, New York, voted nearly two to one to reject a union campaign in the company's fourth union election this year. Amazon has denied wrongdoing and said it took various steps to protect warehouse workers. The 2nd Circuit on Tuesday reversed with respect to the workers' claim that Amazon violated a New York state workplace safety law by failing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Companies Amazon.com Inc FollowOct 18 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) must face a claim that it failed to protect New York City warehouse workers and their families from COVID-19, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday while dismissing the bulk of a 2020 lawsuit. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York reversed a federal judge's ruling that said only the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had the power to review complaints about Amazon's workplace safety practices. The case involves workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island that earlier this year became the company's first unionized facility. The outcome of Amazon's fourth union election this year, at a warehouse near Albany, New York, is expected as early as Tuesday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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