Amazon’s 440 serious warehouse accidents
Retailer boosts hardline charity Number doubles in 4 years
MORE than 440 serious accidents have been reported at Amazon’s UK warehouses since 2015.
The number has doubled in four years. They include fractures, head injuries and collisions with heavy gear, union research found.
One London forklift driver crashed into a column almost causing a floor to collapse in a “lapse of concentration possibly due to long working hours”.
But he refused to give investigators his name for fear of being sacked.
The GMB union obtained the accident statistics through a freedom of information request.
General secretary Tim Roache said: “These figures give a horrifying insight into their [Amazon’s] warehouses. “No one should go to work worried about breaking bones.” Labour MP
Jack Dromey added: “Amazon is behaving like a 19th century mill owner, putting its workers at risk in
BOAST Firm’s sign pursuit of profit.” But the online giant, which raked in £8.8billion from sales last year but paid just £4.6million corporation tax, insisted its depots are safe. It said: “According to the Health and Safety Executive RIDDOR, Amazon has 43% fewer injuries on average than other UK transportation and warehousing firms. It is a safe place to work.” commissioner Sara Khan. She said: “They promote a supremacist ‘us versus them’ world view.”
Amazon refused to confirm how much money it has paid to MRF but said it would conduct a full review of the charity.