Amazon have been in the news recently, as a report found that accidents in their US warehouses are 80% higher than their competitors. There were also reports last year by the GMB union that there were hundreds of workers injured in their UK warehouses.
The union-backed study in the US blamed Amazon’s “obsession with speed” as a main cause of the problem. In a statement, Amazon said it invested more than $1bn (£705.9m) in workplace safety last year, growing its safety team to more than 6,200 people.
“While any incident is one too many, we are continuously learning and seeing improvements through ergonomics programs, guided exercises at employees’ workstations, mechanical assistance equipment, workstation setup and design, and forklift telematics and guardrails – to name a few,” a spokesman said.
He also pointed towards its “WorkingWell” wellbeing programme, something Amazon boss Jeff Bezos highlighted in his recent shareholder letter in which he committed to reducing workplace injuries.
Accidents in Warehouses
Warehousing accidents are one of the most common types of accident at work. In the warehousing industry, there were over 23,000 injuries at work in 2019/20 according to the Health and Safety Executive. There are some injuries that are more common than others, with lifting and handling accidents being the most common. These injuries accommodated for 19% of injuries to workers in warehouses in 2019/20.
Lifting and Handling
Lifting and handling accounted for the most accidents to warehouse staff. When you are lifting and handling at work, your manager must make sure you are following the manual handling rules. This is to minimise the risks of accidents at work, and keep employees safe. One of the biggest aspects of the manual handling regulations is carrying out risk assessments.
Your Employers Responsibility
It is your employer’s responsibility to ensure you are safe at work. This means that they must follow correct health and safety guidelines to minimise the risk of accidents and to keep all their employees safe. They must carry out adequate and frequent risk assessments on the machinery and equipment. They must also make sure that staff training is always up to date.
If your employer does not follow the correct health and safety guidelines, such as the Manual Handling Regulations and the Health and Safety at work regulations, and you have an accident whilst at work, then you may be able to make a claim. All employers must have Employer’s Liability insurance. This covers the business in case accidents at work happen. If you have had an accident and make a claim, then it is the insurance that pays the compensation.
How We Can Help with Accidents in Warehouses
Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes accidents in warehouses. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.
