R. Craig Bolander

I started working at Amazon in 2020 during the peak of COVID at DFW7 in Texas. I started out as a picker which isn’t an easy task, but I did well. As a survivor of esophageal cancer, I understand hard work, dedication, and determination. During peak season in 2021, I was tasked with picking from a flip station. The ladder rollers at that station were poorly maintained and didn’t roll properly, requiring me to use excessive force to pull the ladder in front of the pod.

One day while working at the flip station, I felt something pop in my groin area and immediately knew that something was wrong. I followed Amazon’s safety protocol and immediately shut down my workstation, located my area manager at the stand- up area, and informed him that I had been hurt pulling on the ladder to pick. My manager took me to [Amazon’s in-house clinic] AmCare to report the injury; I told the AmCare safety associate that I thought I may have a hernia. He told me that hernias aren’t covered by workers’ compensation. I felt that he was unconcerned about what had happened to me. The next day, I was tasked with working my typical work path.

As time went on, the hernia became so enlarged that I wore a hernia belt for three months hoping that it would get better. Unfortunately, it didn’t improve. At times I had to manually push the hernia back in so it wouldn’t interfere with my work tasks. Eventually, I could no longer work because of the constant pain and had to undergo surgery to repair the hernia. They had to use a “hernia mesh” to help hold it closed. To this day, I can feel it pulling on my abdominal wall with a sharp stabbing sensation that occurs on a regular basis when I move quickly.

After the surgery, an AmCare representative told me they didn’t have any record of my injury. Even after the surgical intervention, my injury required that I get an accommodation to lift no more than 15 pounds. My injury was preventable and should never have happened.