Amazon's Spokane 'Warehouse' Gets Major Safety Penalty

Amazon has three fulfillment centers in WA state, but according to the WA State Attorney General's office, the Spokane center has far more injury reports.

$85K fine accompanies civil complaint

The report and civil claim issued by the AG's office on Wednesday, says Amazon is facing a number of enforcement cases in WA state and nationwide.

The Spokane facility employs 2,400 workers, the AG's office says they are required to perform repetitive motions, lifting, and other physical work at such a fast pace they are prone to suffering injuries. It is located just south of town, alongside Highway 395 near the Spokane Airport.

A number of inspections by Labor and Industries have found conditions that resulted in several citations and violations of safety procedures.

According to the AG report:

" In the three years it’s been in operation, there have been more than 400 workers’ compensation claims for the type of injury known as Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. It has the highest injury rates for all Amazon fulfillment centers in the state."

The report also states:

"In addition to the ergonomic violations, the Spokane facility was also cited for three serious and one general violation for noise levels that were too high when workers are not wearing appropriate hearing protection."

The civil suit comes with an upcoming update for worker safety and job guidelines, designed to lower the injury rates for workers who are involved in similar repetitive physical activities for long periods of time.