No 'silver bullet' to curb workplace injuries: Amazon CEO

Amazon's CEO Andy Jassy said on Thursday that the company does not have a 'silver bullet' to curtail the repetitive stress, strains and other injuries that plague its frontline workers, but the company is striving to improve its safety. Jassy's pledge came in his first letter to the shareholders since succeeding Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as chief executive. This letter was only days after the release of a report that found out that nearly half of all injuries in U.S. warehouses last year happened at Amazon. 

Many Amazon critics have raised concerns about the grinding physical toll and injury risks of working in one of its fulfillment centers. Amazon is responsible for hiring one-third of US warehouse workers but is only responsible for one-half of all injuries in the warehouse industry. This data is according to the Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of unions. 

US Amazon workers sustained more than 34,000 serious injuries on the job last year. This rate is twice as high than at warehouses owned by other companies, the groups said. Jassy acknowledged an increase in injuries as tens of thousands of employees joined its workforce. But he argued that the rate at which its workers got hurt was "little higher than the average of our warehousing peers," while somewhat lower among its couriers and delivery workers.

Source: CBS News