Safety, Health, and Well-Being
Safety is integral to everything we do at Amazon, and we strive to be safer every day for our employees, partners, and communities. Our work environments allow our employees, regardless of background, skill level, or experience, to work with confidence.
Helping employees understand how to use the equipment and processes designed to keep them safe through training opportunities—such as microlearning, just-in-time training, and learning by doing—is a top priority.
This provides our staff with the chance to build safety skills and competencies on an ongoing basis. We provide continual training on topics such as body mechanics and fall hazards through routine reminders, alerts when logging on to workstations, and messages in our mobile app for employees. Every operations manager also participates in annual safety training, reinforcing basic concepts like emergency preparedness and hazard identification.
Our innovative WorkingWell program uses academic research and certified athletic trainers to educate new employees about their bodies, health, and wellness to help them successfully adapt to working at Amazon. After the onboarding phase, WorkingWell continues to provide support to employees through Huddles, which are meetings among small groups of employees covering topics such as training, conditioning, bending, and handling objects. These regular connections provide opportunities to discuss the benefits of strong body mechanics and provide ongoing safety education.
As our transportation businesses have expanded, we’ve focused on making our roads safer for our drivers and communities through innovative mobile and vehicle technology.
In 2021, thousands of drivers navigated over 2 billion miles delivering packages to our customers around the world. Artificial intelligence reduces accidents by capturing data and providing real-time alerts for unsafe driving behavior, such as driver distraction, close following distance, stop sign and signal violations, and seatbelt infractions.
Our 2021 investment of more than $130 million in new transportation safety technology and programs resulted in nearly 50% fewer accidents since October 2020, and we’re investing an incremental $100 million in 2022 to scale innovations across our delivery fleet.
As a driver, I feel protected and safer with Amazon’s technology. If something happens, the footage is there to help me. Alerts provide a level of safety that wasn’t there before, helping me consciously think about safety—even after my shift ends when I’m driving my own vehicle.
All Amazon-branded delivery vehicles are equipped with driver safety and comfort features, including active systems like automatic emergency braking, technologies that improve visibility, and alerts for nearby vehicles. In 2021, we piloted our custom electric delivery van, built in partnership with Rivian, in over 15 U.S. cities. These vans are designed with the human body in mind, and include 12 advanced driver assistance features that consider the safety and comfort needs of our drivers. We’re also collaborating with drivers to develop vehicle improvements based on their feedback.
