Online retailer Amazon has again been cited for failing to supply proper medical treatment for injuries suffered by workers at a fulfillment center, this time in Castleton, N.Y., the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced.
An investigation by DOL's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found the company "failed to ensure injured employees received proper medical care," the DOL announced April 28.
"At least six employees with head injuries and four with back injuries did not receive timely, necessary medical care," the news release states. "Injured workers were returned to their jobs and, in many cases, their injuries became worse as a result."
OSHA has proposed $15,625 in penalties, which was set by federal statute, the release reports.
This incident marks the fourth time in 2023 that OSHA has cited Amazon for violations, according to the release.
The online retail giant has been put on notice by OSHA previously over its "deficient on-site medical practices, " the release reports. OSHA issued a Hazard Alert Letter in January 2016 after an investigation into a fulfillment facility in Robbinsville, N.J. A similar warning was issued to Amazon in January after OSHA identified similarly lacking on-site medical practices in Deltona, Fla.
Doug Parker, OSHA assistant secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, said the incidents uncovered by OSHA "demonstrate a callous disregard for the well-being" of employees.
“The work at these fulfillment facilities is physically demanding," Parker said in the release. "Returning a worker with a back injury or possible concussion to their job without proper medical evaluation and care can lead to prolonged injuries and lifelong suffering."
The latest findings from OSHA are part of an ongoing inspection that started at Amazon's fulfillment center in upstate New York in August. The inspection was opened based on a referral from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. OSHA also opened inspections in Castleton, as well as five other Amazon warehouse facilities in Florida, Illinois, New York, and Idaho, last summer.
Currently, OSHA has 20 ongoing inspections of Amazon locations across the U.S., the DOL reports.
