Keeping both warehouse staff and commercial vehicle fleet drivers safe is a challenge for any logistics business. When the workforce involved is vast, as with Amazon’s, the difficulties are even greater, reports David Priestman.
If workers like a personal protective equipment (PPE) product they will use it. Setting a high bar for quality is therefore a good strategy, as we all learned from Covid. That premise underpinned a discussion at the Amazon Business Reshape conference.
Antoine McNeal is the head of Global Health and Safety (H&S) Procurement for Amazon. His team utilise data-driven decisions in PPE and material handling equipment (MHE) sourcing, partly because of the sheer volume of products involved. His budget is a staggering $200bn and is helping to lead a change in safety practices and equipment. One specific example is the introduction of enhanced hand protection to avoid finger injuries: the ‘Impact Glove’.
Asking why safety is critical in warehousing and distribution may seem naïve or callous, but it gets to the root of the issue. With 1000 H&S staff out of a workforce of one million, Amazon aim to be the benchmark for safety in logistics. McNeal revealed that 2024 saw a 6% fall in injuries (across both delivery and warehouse operations).
Predictive Analytics
“Safety first, people always,” is McNeal and Amazon’s declared mantra. If safety is improved the company benefits from the reduction in time off work by staff. “We can move the market,” McNeal states, “by engaging demand for new or more products.”
When Amazon buy, the volumes involved can create their own supply, either by new suppliers emerging or via product innovation. A robust catalogue of PPE products available has been created, with supplier locations all checked.
Every country that Amazon operates in has different H&S standards, so data sets are required to drive decision-making. Data is collected based on the demand for and consumption of PPE. Forecasts can then be made. “Having no stock-outs is imperative, so we check inventory and spot risks,” says McNeal. “We can normalize data based on standards used internationally for items like boots and gloves.” PPE is sourced from as many as 2500 suppliers, globally.
Stay in stock
Incident data is also analysed, of course, as well as employee feedback. “We treat them like our customers,” McNeal insists. Amazon’s ‘Dragon Fly’ tool allows its staff to submit ideas and raise problems regarding safety. Inputs are managed at local sites, but the data is also fed into a global set for analysis – 130,000 submissions per year.
Once Bitten…
Speed matters in business, a concept that Amazons arguably understands better than anyone else. If there is an incident or accident a solution is required, as soon as possible. “We try to solve these problems in advance,” states McNeal, “by working in partnership with our PPE suppliers. Time is critical. If we know what products are needed, how do we shorten the lead time?”
Having PPE on-site, when and where needed, is one answer. PPE vending machines, unlocked and accessed by staff using RFID, are being installed. “If we know what’s used and when, and what’s not getting used, we have the data in our dashboard to improve distribution,” McNeal concludes. Amazon state that PPE is 30% cheaper when vending machines are used as there is less waste and more re-usage.
Other examples of H&S assistance include delivery drivers being given extra lights for when working in hours of darkness, being advised about bad weather via their driver App and even warned about aggressive dogs in the vicinity, something I wish I had as a paperboy way back when!
