OSHA Investigates The Deaths of Two Workers at Amazon Factories

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Is launching an investigation into the deaths of two workers at Amazon fulfillment centers.

The first incident occurred on December 4, 2013, when 57-year-old temporary worker Ronald Smith was dragged by a conveyor belt. While Smith survived the initial incident, he died soon after at the hospital from complications. The Amazon temp worker had four children and seven grandchildren.

The second incident occurred less than 6 month later on June 1, 2014. It involved 52-year-old Jody Rhoads who was killed while operating a motorized pallet jack. Rhoads had either lost control of the pallet jack or the machine had failed, sending it crashing into a shelving unit filled with product. Rhoads is survived by her two sons and four grandchildren.

Amazon expressed its deepest condolences to family members of the fallen workers, saying they will work closely with OSHA to aid officials in their investigation.

Surprisingly, OSHA has yet to cite Amazon for the deaths of either workers. Instead, OSHA officials have cited the temporary employment agencies Abacus, Corporate Resource Services, Staffmark, Remedy Intelligent Staffing, and Genco, saying the agencies failed to inspect the Amazon fulfillment centers for safety issues prior to hiring workers.

So, how much are the temp agencies being fined? According to OSHA officials, each of the five companies will be fined $6,000 for failure to asses potential safety hazards before hiring workers. When asked why the fines weren't higher given that two workers were killed, OSHA responded by saying the law places a $6,000 cap on this type of violation; therefore, they were not legally allowed to impose fines higher than the $6,000.

"Temporary staffing agencies and host employers are jointly responsible for the safety and health of temporary employees. These employers must assess the work site to ensure that workers are adequately protected from potential hazards. It is essential that employers protect all workers from job hazards — both temporary and permanent workers," said Patricia Jones, director of OSHA's Avenel Area Office.

Amazon currently operates over a dozen fulfillment centers throughout the U.S,. each of which employs hundreds of workers. The massive online retailer has come under criticism in recent months for the work conditions at its fulfillment centers, with both current and former employees claiming the centers are too congested for workers to safety conduct their duties. There have even been claims that Amazon intentionally sets "unreasonable" goals to create a sense of insecurity among its workers.