Warehouse Workers' Injuries Are Increasing as Employers Use Artificial Intelligence

An increase of injuries suffered by warehouse workers, fueled by employers' use of artificial intelligence, is getting legislative attention. The focus is on Amazon and other major retail giants whose business has exploded since the COVID Pandemic emerged.

Sophisticated Surveillance Software

The companies deploy sophisticated surveillance software to track employees' job activities and production, imposing quotas and maintain heavy workloads. This increased pace and production pressure has resulted in severe injuries to backs, limbs, joints, and the psychiatric health of the workers. The Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) reported that Amazon warehouse injury rates are more than 50% higher than the workplace injury rates for all warehouse workers in the US.

Warehouse worker hazards
1.Forklifts
2.Docks
3.Conveyors
4.Inadequate ventilation
5.Guardrails
6.Combustion by-products, ie. Carbon monoxide
7.Materials storage
8.Manual lifting/handling
9.Hazard communication
10.Charging stations (fire and explosion)
11.Poor ergonomics (musculoskeletal disorders)
12.Inadequate fire safety provisions
13.Lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE)
14.Heat stress

Legislative Activity

California recently enacted  [AB701] that requires large warehouse employers to: 

-Disclose quotas and pace-of-work standards to workers
-Prohibit employers from counting the time that workers spend complying with health

          and safety law as "time off task"
-Require the Labor Commissioner to enforce the provisions of the law
-The law will require employers to exempt from quotas: meal or rest periods, use of 

          bathroom facilities, or compliance with occupational and safety regulations

Governor Newsome in signing the legislation stated: “We cannot allow corporations to put profit over people. The hardworking warehouse employees who have helped sustain us during these unprecedented times should not have to risk injury or face punishment as a result of exploitative quotas that violate basic health and safety.” 

New Jersey Retail Warehouses

New Jersey has experienced a surge in the establishment of retail warehouses. It is geographically suited for transport on the East coast and equal distance to major population centers like New York City and Philadelphia. It also is a central transportation hub with abundant air, land, and sea facilities. The State of New Jersey has reported numerous injuries of warehouse workers involving: forklift injuries, including falls and crush injuries. Investigative reports are published online.

NJ Workers' Compensation Benefits

The New Jersey Legislature had many goals in mind when it formulated a workers' compensation system for the state. In general, the goal was to relieve the injured employee of paying for their own medical care and replace their lost wages with temporary and permanent disability benefits when necessary. 

It is a system based upon expeditious administration so that compensation is awarded with a minimum of delay and without a requirement for proof of fault. The Workers' Compensation Act also provides employers with a defined liability that is limited and determinate. In general, the administrative system established by the Act was created both to provide a direct remedy to the employee and limit litigation against the employer.

If you are a warehouse worker and have suffered a workplace injury, you should consult an attorney at law as soon as possible to determine whether a formal claim can be filed on your behalf. 

Recommended Citation: Jon L. Gelman,  Warehouse Workers Injuries Are Increasing as Employers Use of Artificial Intelligence, Workers' Compensation Blog (Sept. 13, 2021), https://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/2021/09/warehouse-workers-injuries-are.html

Updated: September 23, 2021

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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author of NJ Workers' Compensation Law (Thomson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers' Compensation Law (Thomson-Reuters). For over four decades, the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com  has represented injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

Blog: Workers' Compensation

Twitter: jongelman

LinkedIn: JonGelman

LinkedIn Group: Injured Workers Law & Advocacy Group

Author: "Workers' Compensation Law" Thomson-Reuters