Over 1,400 ambulances were called to Amazon warehouses in a five year period, according to new figures.
The new statistics uncovered by The Observer have called into question work safety at the e-commerce giants workplaces dotted around the UK, with the GMB trade union branding the new findings as ‘shocking’.
Amazon warehouses in Dunfermline and Bristol topped the list of ambulance calls, recording 161 and 125 respectively in a five-year period.
Of the times the Scottish Ambulance Service responded to the Dunfermline site, a third related to chest pains while other involved cases of convulsions, strokes, and breathing difficulties.
A third of callouts by the Scottish Ambulance Service to the Amazon site in Dunfermline related to chest pains, with other callouts for convulsions, strokes and breathing problems recorded.
Over 1,400 ambulances were called to Amazon warehouses in a five year period, according to new figures (Pictured: an Amazon centre in Sutton)
Amazon warehouses in Dunfermline and Bristol topped the list of ambulance calls, recording 161 and 125 respectively in a five-year period (stock image)
Elsewhere at the Mansfield branch, 84 ambulance callouts have been made since 2019 alone.
Over 70 per cent of calls were for category one or two incidents which are among the most grave, such as heart attacks or strokes.
Amazon workplaces in Chesterfield, Mansfield, Rugeley, London and Bolton and several others experienced psychiatric incidents or attempted suicide.
Various sites also recorded staff having miscarriages and pregnancy-related incidents at the work place as well as suspected heart attacks and traumatic bodily damage.
Other incidents involved workers being exposed to acids and hazardous gases, suffering severe electrocution, or sustaining significant burns over large areas of their bodies
The current numbers are believed to be an underestimate as the 12 ambulance services queried did not have all the figures for the 30 Amazon warehouses, the Observer reports.
Amanda Gearing, a GMB organiser said although the numbers were ‘shocking’ they did not come as a surprise.
She has urged the Health and Safety Executives as well as locals councils to launch investigations into the conglomerates’ workplace safety standards.
‘Amazon workers are routinely pushed beyond the limits of human endurance,’ she told The Guardian.
‘They’re forced to work to a hidden target that isn’t based on safe working but on a Hunger Games algorithm.’
‘Even these worryingly high figures might hide how commonplace injury and illness is at Amazon.
The current numbers are believed to be an underestimate as the 12 ambulance services queried did not have all the figures for the 30 Amazon warehouses (Pictured: Amazon staff striking outside a warehouse in Warrington last July)
‘We know from our members in Amazon warehouses that first-aiders are actively discouraged from ringing ambulances – instead told to take taxis.’
Martha Dark, who is the director of Foxglove, a non-profit organisation that assists Amazon workers also share her thoughts.
‘Yet again we see just how dangerous working at Amazon is,’ she said.
‘So many workers being taken off in ambulances just for doing their jobs is unacceptable and highlights Amazon’s disregard for proper health and safety.’
An Amazon spokesperson: ‘Our critics are using incomplete information that’s without context and designed to intentionally mislead.
‘The truth is that Amazon has 50% fewer injuries on average than other transportation and warehousing businesses in the UK, according to HSE published figures.
‘The vast majority of ambulance call outs to our buildings are related to pre-existing conditions, not work-related incidents, and we will always call an ambulance if someone requires medical attention – it’s irresponsible and unfortunate to suggest there’s something else going on here.
‘We encourage everyone who wants to understand the truth to come and see for themselves by taking a tour of an Amazon fulfilment centre.’
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