The California agency that oversees workplace safety fined Amazon.com Inc. $41,000 for failing to record COVID-19 infections among employees at a Rialto facility and to generally protect workers there against potential exposure to the virus. It’s the second round of fines the state agency has levied against the e-commerce giant during the pandemic.
After a months-long inspection that began in October, investigators with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, found that an Amazon fullfillment center in Rialto didn’t implement adequate physical distancing, face coverings and physical barriers such as plexiglass screens that would help block infectious particles.
The citation, issued Monday, also says Amazon failed to record 217 COVID-19 infections contracted by employees from April to October 2020. State occupational health and safety laws require employers to document all workplace illnesses and injuries in a record called Log 300, that is supposed to be available to workers on request.
Amazon spokeswoman Maria Boschetti said the company follows regulations, takes the health and safety of its employees seriously, and is considering contesting the citation. “We believe our health and safety programs are more than adequate,” Boschetti said in an emailed statement.
Read the full story at LATimes.com.