A U.S. Senate investigation accuses Amazon of manipulating workplace injury data to portray its warehouses as safer than they actually are, while promoting speed over workplace safety.

The investigation from the Senate's health and labor committee spanned 18 months, and includes an analysis covering seven years of injury data along with interviews of 135 Amazon workers. Based on that evidence, the committee found "extensive evidence of a corporate culture obsessed with speed and productivity," alleging that the e-commerce giant regularly ignored safety concerns, ordered workers to stay in roles that were causing them pain, and denied medical care for injuries. An analysis of company data showed that Amazon warehouses recorded over 30% more injuries than the industry average in 2023. Amazon workers were also nearly twice as likely to be injured on the job compared to facilities operated by the rest of the warehousing industry.

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"Amazon knowingly puts its workers at risk of injury and fails to comply with its obligation under federal law to provide a safe working environment," the report reads. 

The investigation also alleged that although Amazon had initiated several internal studies to look into ways to improve worker safety, the company intentionally chose not to act on recommendations to slow the pace of production in warehouses, while "accepting injuries to its workers as the cost of doing business." In one study conducted by Amazon known as Project Soteria, a research team identified a direct link between speed and injuries in warehouses, and suggested the company pause disciplinary measures for workers who failed to meet speed requirements. Senior leaders reportedly denied those requests, due to concerns over potential impacts to productivity rates. 

After that, the company was said to have told the Project Soteria team to shift its focus from finding ways to reduce injuries, to maximizing productivity rates without increasing existing injury rates. After two years, the team recommended slowing down the pace for workers, which leadership rejected. Amazon then had a separate team audit Project Soteria's findings, with that team asserting that workplace injuries were actually due to the "frailty" of certain employees.

Amazon responded to the Senate's investigation in a written statement, claiming that the report is "wrong on the facts, and features selective, outdated information that lacks context and isn't grounded in reality." 

"We’d hoped this report would have taken into account the thousands of pages of information, data, and details we provided throughout this investigation, and the conclusions drawn would be based on facts," the company added. "But, the false information in this report doesn’t change reality: Our safety progress is well documented, and we’re proud of it."