This kind of figure is pretty meaningless without context. They give one point of comparison for a single Amazon site vs a single Tesco site in 2018 – but there’s no indication of whether this headline figure is actually above average or not.
Created_User_UK on
The numbers are shocking especially as the types of cases were serious. In one warehouse 70% of them were cat 1 and 2 which includes heart attacks, strokes, breathing difficulties, etc.
Also included is suicide attempts, severe psychiatric episodes, miscarriages, acid burns, electrocutions, the list goes on.
Amazon claims it’s because they employ many people but comparative data doesn’t back this up:
>In 2018, a freedom of information request from the GMB union found that a Tesco warehouse in Rugeley, near Birmingham, recorded only eight ambulance callouts in three years versus the 115 logged at a nearby Amazon site. Both warehouses employed large numbers of workers at the time – 1,300 at Tesco’s site and around 1,800 at Amazon’s.
They also claim it’s because of preexisting conditions but in that case then shouldn’t they be reducing workloads and demands instead of trying to kill them. I suppose if you only see people as a disposable resource unworthy of respect then yeah work them to death.
And why are people with severe health problems like this being forced into work in the first place? Oh yeah cos sick and disabled people are all ‘lazy benefit scum’ according to our political class.
limaconnect77 on
Would be interesting to have input from a current/former Tesco warehouse person on what sort of MHE they usually have on the floor.
Sean921172 on
There is over 30 Amazon warehouses around the country. Taking 30 as the total and averaging out over the 5 years, it gives an average of 9.33 per year per warehouse. How does this compare to othe companies with 30+ sites.
I am not defending Amazon here. I’m just looking for a fair comparison.
Chemical-Top-6327 on
1400 times across 30 sites in 5 years is 9 times per site a year (correct me if I’ve misread the article)
I worked in a factory with approx 100-150 staff and we wouldn’t be far off that, if someone injured themselves to the point they would need to attend A&E we were told to phone for an ambulance as we weren’t insured to transport them ourselves
Cyrillite on
What’s the baseline rate for the number of ambulances being called out for 60,000 working age people over the last 5 years? 280 ambulances a year for 60,000 people seems reasonable. If it isn’t reasonable, I’ll need much more context to understand why.
Comparing to one other work site with pre-covid data doesn’t really help, either.
Rookie_42 on
I’d be interested to understand what is meant by ‘badly electrocuted’.
Grammar complaints aside, how does someone get an electric shock in a place like this? That’s a very serious failing of electrical safety.
yourlocallidl on
Imagine if people united together and boycotted this toxic company, but no people want their shitty gym equipment delivered on the same day.
Sustainable_Twat on
Having worked in an Amazon Warehouse for over a year, I can’t say I’m surprised. I was tasked to pack 180 items an hour. Every hour. One particular hour, I only packed 178 items and an agency worker came up to me and said I need to increase my efficiency. They give workers a “pep talk” before every shift and give out cheap prizes for those who perform best under the guise of rewarding workers when they’re trying to get the most out of them.
2much2Jung on
Poorliest patient I have ever had (whilst still being alive) worked in a Yodel factory.
His job was to reach down next to a running conveyor belt, and retrieve packets which had fallen off.
And yes, he got injured exactly how you are expecting in the least surprising turn of events imaginable.
Not trying to distract from Amazon being shit, just adding in that others are shit as well.
10 Comments
This kind of figure is pretty meaningless without context. They give one point of comparison for a single Amazon site vs a single Tesco site in 2018 – but there’s no indication of whether this headline figure is actually above average or not.
The numbers are shocking especially as the types of cases were serious. In one warehouse 70% of them were cat 1 and 2 which includes heart attacks, strokes, breathing difficulties, etc.
Also included is suicide attempts, severe psychiatric episodes, miscarriages, acid burns, electrocutions, the list goes on.
Amazon claims it’s because they employ many people but comparative data doesn’t back this up:
>In 2018, a freedom of information request from the GMB union found that a Tesco warehouse in Rugeley, near Birmingham, recorded only eight ambulance callouts in three years versus the 115 logged at a nearby Amazon site. Both warehouses employed large numbers of workers at the time – 1,300 at Tesco’s site and around 1,800 at Amazon’s.
They also claim it’s because of preexisting conditions but in that case then shouldn’t they be reducing workloads and demands instead of trying to kill them. I suppose if you only see people as a disposable resource unworthy of respect then yeah work them to death.
And why are people with severe health problems like this being forced into work in the first place? Oh yeah cos sick and disabled people are all ‘lazy benefit scum’ according to our political class.
Would be interesting to have input from a current/former Tesco warehouse person on what sort of MHE they usually have on the floor.
There is over 30 Amazon warehouses around the country. Taking 30 as the total and averaging out over the 5 years, it gives an average of 9.33 per year per warehouse. How does this compare to othe companies with 30+ sites.
I am not defending Amazon here. I’m just looking for a fair comparison.
1400 times across 30 sites in 5 years is 9 times per site a year (correct me if I’ve misread the article)
I worked in a factory with approx 100-150 staff and we wouldn’t be far off that, if someone injured themselves to the point they would need to attend A&E we were told to phone for an ambulance as we weren’t insured to transport them ourselves
What’s the baseline rate for the number of ambulances being called out for 60,000 working age people over the last 5 years? 280 ambulances a year for 60,000 people seems reasonable. If it isn’t reasonable, I’ll need much more context to understand why.
Comparing to one other work site with pre-covid data doesn’t really help, either.
I’d be interested to understand what is meant by ‘badly electrocuted’.
Grammar complaints aside, how does someone get an electric shock in a place like this? That’s a very serious failing of electrical safety.
Imagine if people united together and boycotted this toxic company, but no people want their shitty gym equipment delivered on the same day.
Having worked in an Amazon Warehouse for over a year, I can’t say I’m surprised. I was tasked to pack 180 items an hour. Every hour. One particular hour, I only packed 178 items and an agency worker came up to me and said I need to increase my efficiency. They give workers a “pep talk” before every shift and give out cheap prizes for those who perform best under the guise of rewarding workers when they’re trying to get the most out of them.
Poorliest patient I have ever had (whilst still being alive) worked in a Yodel factory.
His job was to reach down next to a running conveyor belt, and retrieve packets which had fallen off.
And yes, he got injured exactly how you are expecting in the least surprising turn of events imaginable.
Not trying to distract from Amazon being shit, just adding in that others are shit as well.