In many cases and locations they are illegal conditions. It however is [maybe] [some] company practice to push the boundaries as far as they can be pushed, as

In many cases and locations they are illegal conditions. It however is [maybe] [some] company practice to push the boundaries as far as they can be pushed, as a cultural motive. Often pressure from the top down, not with explicit instruction, but implicit general direction that X needs to be done to meet Y requirement. "Shit rolls downhill" as the saying goes. Then it just happens that Joe on the end of the line doesn't get to take a washroom break for 8 hours, every day—and if Joe were to ask about it, Joe would be fired, and Joe [like most] can't afford to be fired. I've seen it in other industries. It's not unique to Amazon. Amazon's notoriety comes from its size and ubiquity in North American life.