‘Culture of Fear’ Grips UPS; Workers Say Injuries Underreported

After a worker fell from a loading dock and broke his hip, pelvis, wrist, and elbow last December at a United Parcel Service branch in Manchester, N.H., company managers placed the injured employee on a package cart and rolled him to the parking lot where he was then taken to a hospital, according to a government report.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, contacted by UPS a day after the accident, alleged in a review of the incident UPS failed to maintain a safe workplace, and criticized the company in a narrative of the accident for “failing to call emergency services.” The report went on to state that moving the worker, who had “visibly broken bones,” endangered his life.

The reluctance managers showed to call for medical attention is not unusual, according to interviews with workers and dozens of lawsuits reviewed by Bloomberg Law. Workers also accuse management of retaliating against those who do report accidents, creating a “culture of fear,” according to an Ohio warehouse worker. UPS denies the accusations.