Each year, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos writes a letter to shareholders identifying the areas that the company will be focused on in the coming 12 months. This year, Bezos’ last as CEO, his letter included a focus on employee satisfaction and safety. One of the things that Bezos believes needs to be addressed is employees who suffer from musculoskeletal disorders.
In his letter Bezos indicated that 40% of all workplace injuries throughout the company globally were musculoskeletal disorders. With the repetitive nature of many of the jobs in Amazon’s warehouses it is no wonder that this type of workplace injury is common throughout the company.
What are musculoskeletal disorders?
Musculoskeletal disorders affect muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage and spinal discs. These injuries often occur in workplace settings where jobs are repetitive in nature and become Connecticut workers’ compensation claims. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) work environments that prolong the effects of this type of injury or make the injury worse can be considered as contributing to the injury.
While the letter from Bezos indicates a renewed focus on employee health and safety, this is not exclusively a humanitarian play by the CEO. In fact, U.S. companies face a huge bill related to musculoskeletal disorders which estimates place at costing these companies nearly $50 billion per year. These types of injuries also amounted to between 21 - 32 days of work missed per injury.
Companies with a renewed focus on preventing these types of injuries are doing a service to their employees with the added benefit of improving their bottom line as a result of limiting the injuries.
No matter where you work, your working conditions may be contributing to your injury and you may need an attorney to help you navigate the workers’ compensation system. Our team of board certified attorneys is standing by to help review your case.
