ROSSFORD, Ohio — With safety at top of mind for leaders at Amazon's Rossford fulfillment center, they're using innovative technology to back up that promise to employees.
In a recent letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos noted 4 of every 10 employee injuries is a musculoskeletal disorder, usually caused by repetitive motion.
To combat the issue, the retail and logistics giant is making changes to how it approaches safety.
"What I really love is how we look forward at preventing injuries versus being reactive," said Daniel Fox, the Rossford facility's site leader.
Part of that is an effort to help employees work out kinks before they become too debilitating.
"If they have a small ache or pain, we can give them different biomechanics, different first aid care and education, to help prevent those small aches or pains from becoming a big injury," said Tyler Schlosser, an Amazon injury prevention specialist.
There's also a new focus on mental and emotional health among workers along with facility guidelines to prevent issues with the automated equipment and manage COVID caution, said senior safety manager Anne Cook.
"We have extensive measures to keep pedestrians and associates safe from our moving equipment," Cook said. "We also have designated pedestrian walkways so that if we're moving a pallet we're making sure that we're keeping our aisleways clear and avoid collision potential."
While the methods aren't necessarily new, the company's lofty goal is. Amazon is aiming to cut employee injuries in half by 2025.
"Safety is the benefit, but the investment is really coming into our associates and how they interact with their work," Cook said.