Amazon Warehouse Injury Lawyer in Atlanta
Strong advocacy for Georgia warehouse workers and drivers
There have been many recent news stories about the dangerous conditions in Amazon’s warehouses and fulfillment centers. There are many of these centers in the Atlanta, Georgia region. At Harris Lowry Manton LLP, our Atlanta warehouse injury lawyers help Amazon workers file third-party injury claims. We’ve obtained hundreds of verdicts and settlements for six, seven, and eight figures including nearly 20 for $10 million and higher.
How can we help?
- How dangerous is working at an Amazon fulfillment center?
- What types of jobs do workers perform in Atlanta warehouses?
- What types of accidents happen at Amazon warehouses in Atlanta?
- What injuries do Atlanta warehouse workers suffer?
- When can an injured Atlanta warehouse worker file a personal injury claim?
- What steps should Amazon take to protect their workers?
- How much is my warehouse injury claim worth in Atlanta?
- Do you have an Atlanta warehouse injury lawyer near me?
Schedule a free consultation with our experienced Atlanta Amazon injury attorneys today
How dangerous is working at an Amazon fulfillment center?
Amazon has a long way to go to improve worker safety. Despite the number of injuries declining in 2023, labor advocacy groups warn that the numbers are still incredibly high. As one analyst told The Seattle Times, “improvement from a horrific injury rate … to a merely horrible injury rate” is “no great cause for celebration.”
In 2023, there were 4.7 injuries for every 200,000 working hours (globally) at Amazon facilities. In the U.S., that rate is actually higher: 6.3 out of every 200,000 working hours. In warehouses specifically, it’s 6.5.
This last rate, however, is what advocates say is misleading. Per The Seattle Times:
Amazon recorded 6.5 injuries per 200,000 working hours in its warehouse division in 2023, compared with the BLS average of 6.8 for warehouses with more than 1,000 employees….
According to a National Employment Law Project analysis of data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Amazon makes up roughly 71% of the category for warehouses with more than 1,000 employees.
Taking Amazon out of the calculation, the analysis found, the average injury rate for warehouses with more than 1,000 workers would drop from 6.8 to 3.6. That would put Amazon’s injury rate significantly above the industry average.
What types of jobs do workers perform in Atlanta warehouses?
Several of the largest Amazon fulfillment centers operate in Georgia and employ 3,500 workers according to Fox 5. NBC News states that as of June 2023, about 1 out of every 169 workers in the United States works for Amazon.
Entry-level jobs at Amazon include:
- Stowers receive shipped items and place them in pods for storage.
- Pickers take the items from the pods, place them in carts, and send them to the packers.
- Packers place the items “into boxes, jiffies or mailers” and send those containers to the ship dock department for loading into trucks for outbound shipping.
- This job involved helping other associates with “replenishing resources.”
- Problem solver. This job involves such tasks as handling missing items, items that are unscannable, and items that don’t have the correct barcode labels.
- Inventory control and quality assurance (ICQA) job. These workers help ensure that the floor inventory matches what’s in the inventory database.
- Ship dock worker. As packages come down the conveyor belt, ship dock associates “scan the packages into an appropriate location” and load the packages into the trucks.
- Amnesty jobs. These workers help clear the floors and help with small fixes so the robotics equipment can do its job.
More experienced workers work with forklifts, lift trucks, and heavy equipment. Many Amazon warehouse workers work alongside the latest robotics technology.
What types of accidents happen at Amazon warehouses in Atlanta?
Working at an Amazon warehouse is physically demanding. Some of the injuries that our Atlanta Amazon warehouse injury lawyers handle include:
- Slip/trip and fall accidents. The floors at Atlanta warehouses can become wet due to water, oil, rain, and other sources causing workers to fall. Any inventory on the floor can cause a fall. Uneven surfaces, cable wires, and other loose objects can also cause falls. Workers can stumble into other workers or other equipment including robotic equipment. Poor lighting increases the risk of falling.
- Machinery accidents. Much of the work at Amazon warehouses involves using power tools, forklifts, and other equipment to move, load, and secure the inventory. When a worker is injured while using any equipment or is struck by another worker who is using any equipment, the worker can suffer many types of serious injuries.
- Hazardous exposures. Many of the products that Amazon uses or Amazon ships contain dangerous toxins that can cause skin injuries or respiratory injuries if they’re touched or inhaled. It may take days or months for a worker to become aware they’ve been harmed.
- Objects that fall. It’s common for improperly stocked inventory to fall on Amazon workers causing severe harm.
What types of injuries do Atlanta warehouse workers suffer?
The people who work at Amazon warehouses can suffer many different types of injuries including orthopedic injuries, overexertion injuries, repetitive stress injuries, and respiratory injuries. Our Atlanta warehouse injury lawyers handle the following types of injuries:
- Spinal cord damage and paralysis;
- Traumatic brain injuries;
- Amputation injuries;
- Broken bones;
- Nerve, ligament, tissue, tendon, and muscle injuries;
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement; and
- Permanently disabling injuries, including loss of vision or hearing;
Tragically, some injuries at Amazon warehouses in Atlanta may be fatal.
When can an injured Atlanta warehouse worker file a personal injury claim?
Injured warehouse workers in Atlanta can file claims against their employer if they are not covered by workers’ compensation.
All workers, whether they are employees or not, can file a product liability claim against a manufacturer of equipment or tools that is defective. A forklift, power tool, robotic machine, or any other workplace equipment item may be defective due to faulty workmanship, improper design, or a failure to provide appropriate warnings.
Trucking companies and truck drivers
Many of the people who unload, load, and deliver Amazon products are not actually Amazon employees – even when they’re driving a truck with an Amazon label and wearing an Amazon uniform. If a non-employee Amazon worker is injured in a truck accident in Atlanta, we may be able to file truck accident claims against the trucking company and any other companies involved in the shipment.
We are always willing to represent any drivers, passengers, pedestrians, or bicycle riders who are injured by trucks delivering Amazon products (whether the truck driver is an Amazon employee or not). We file claims against negligent truck drivers, their employers, and the trucking companies involved in the crash.
At Harris Lowry Manton LLP, our personal injury and wrongful death lawyers will review how your accident happened, your job status, and who and what type of legal claim injured workers and families can file.
How much is my warehouse injury claim worth in Atlanta?
When our Atlanta warehouse injury lawyers file a personal injury claim, we demand compensation for the following damages:
- All your current and future medical bills
- The full amount of your wage loss including your losses to date and the income you will lose in the future because you can’t work
- Your physical pain and emotional suffering
- Any scarring or disfigurement
- Any loss of bodily function
- Loss of consortium
In wrongful death claims, we seek compensation for the full value of your loved one’s life, which include compensation for loss of financial support, loss of consortium, your mental and emotional anguish, and loss of parental guidance (if applicable). We can also seek damages under an estate claim for medical bills, funeral and burial costs, and wage loss.
What steps should Amazon take to protect their workers?
Some of the steps that Amazon and other warehouse owners should take to protect their workers include:
- Using quality equipment, machines, and tools including robotics;
- Ensuring an ergonomically safe environment such as workstations that are the correct height;
- Providing sufficient rest breaks;
- Hiring enough workers so the current workers aren’t overworked;
- Rotating jobs so workers aren’t using the same muscles and body parts all the time;
- Ensuring that climate control measures are in place, especially for workers who work in extreme heat or with freezers;
- Improving truck safety;
- Having the proper safety gear for the workers;
- Implementing quality safety training; and
- Obtaining employee feedback.
Do you have an Atlanta warehouse injury lawyer near me?
We will meet anyone with serious injuries at our Atlanta office located in Brookhaven at 1418 Dresden Dr. NE, Suite 250. If you’re too injured or ill to come to our office, we will visit clients away from the office. Our lawyers can also speak with clients by phone and through video conferences.
We’ll explain your rights and aggressively pursue your claim for compensation.
Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Experienced Atlanta Amazon Warehouse Injury Attorneys Today
Harris Lowry Manton LLP is respected by former clients, insurance companies, the legal community, and legal rating agencies for our dedication to our clients and our impressive record of results. We work with your doctors and our network of doctors to verify your injuries and assess just how physically painful and emotionally upsetting your workplace injuries are. We seek full compensation for injured workers. To schedule a free consultation with one of our Amazon warehouse injury lawyers in Atlanta, please call us or fill out our contact form. We maintain an additional office in Savannah for your convenience.