Busy distribution centers that package and send out countless items can be dangerous places to work, especially because of the heavy equipment involved. A relatively new Amazon facility in California was the site of a recent work injury incident. The facility in question has only been operational for just over a year.
The woman was a packer working with a conveyor belt. She reportedly got her hand caught in the roller part of the machine. She needed to be transported to an emergency room for treatment of her injuries. While reports indicate she didn’t lose her hand, the injuries required hospitalization. It was not disclosed how long the woman may have needed to be hospitalized.
The accident followed a deadly work injury incident in another Amazon facility just days earlier. That incident took the life of a 57-year-old worker. The temporary worker in that facility was crushed to death. There is currently an OSHA investigation of the California work injury incident and also the previous incident in another state.
Any kind of factory, distribution or manufacturing job requires training and safety standards to ensure the safety of everyone at a given facility, especially for those who may be temporary workers. An investigation into the incident in California may pave the way for safer operations or updated training. However despite any findings, the woman who suffered the work injury may need to rely on workers’ compensation benefits to deal with the financial aftermath of being injured on the job. Those benefits can help with medical bills and lost wages, or any other expenses related to being injured on the job.
Source: recode.net, Amazon Worker Was Hospitalized After Warehouse Accident, Jason Del Rey, Feb. 7, 2014