A Rate Worth Getting Excited About!

ment’s allegations reflect the reality of safety at our sites,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said.

“We’ve cooperated with the government through its investigation and have demonstrated how we work to mitigate risks and keep our people safe, and our publicly available data show we reduced injury rates in the U.S. nearly 15% between 2019 and 2021.”

OSHA also cited Amazon with 14 violations for improper recordkeeping in the company’s injury reports during the first round of investigation in December, levying $29,008 more in possible fines.

No Amazon workers are unionized in Colorado — the only unionized Amazon warehouse is in Staten Island, New York. The Amazon Labor Union tried to organize at a warehouse in Albany, New York, but employees voted no to a union in October. Efforts to organize service workers from Apple to Starbucks last year were met with mixed results. Several Starbucks stores in Colorado have voted to unionize, but contracts are still under negotiation.

Amazon employs more than 20,000 full- and part- time workers in Colorado. Many work in the warehouses and as fulfillment center workers. A number are also employed at the 22 Whole Foods Market grocery stores around the state.

The company opened its first warehouse in Colorado in 2016. The Aurora facility, known as DEN5, is where the latest OSHA citations were issued. Workers at the facility sort already sealed packages and then route them by ZIP code to local post offices for faster delivery to Colorado customers. Its first fulfillment center opened in 2018, also in Aurora, followed by another in Thornton where employees are assisted by robots. A Colorado Springs warehouse opened in 2021. The company is also constructing a new fulfillment center in Loveland. This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalistowned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.