What makes injuries more likely to occur at Amazon’s automated warehouses is that the company has unrealistic expectations of the human employees that work there. Where workers called pickers previously had to scan about 100 items every hour, Amazon now expects them to scan up to 400 products in the same amount of time. Those employees can’t keep with the robots without hurting themselves.

What’s more, Reveal found Amazon has either been slow or shown no interest in listening to federal regulators when it comes to the issue. In 2015, the Occupational Saftey and Health Administration (OSHA) outlined policies Amazon could implement to keep employees safe at a robotic warehouse in New Jersey. For example, one suggestion was that the company rotates employees between different jobs throughout their shift to avoid repetitive stress injuries. Reveal found that Amazon has yet to implement those measures across its warehouses. 

When asked about its automated warehouses, a spokesperson for Amazon told Reveal, “the use of robotics, automation and technology in our fulfillment centers is enhancing our workplace, making jobs safer and more efficient.” We’ve reached out to Amazon for additional comments. We’ll update this article when we hear back.

The report also found that injuries are more common at the company’s warehouses during the holiday shopping season and throughout its Prime Day event. In all, Reveal says in 2019 Amazon recorded 14,000 serious injuries at across 150 fulfillment centers, with injury rates increasing year-over-year.