A worker died in the Oregon warehouse of Amazon on April 6.
An Amazon worker reportedly collapsed and died on the floor of the Oregon warehouse while his colleagues were told not to look and get back to their work, the Western Edge reported and claimed that the company tried to keep a lid on the April 6 incident. The outlet also got a statement from Amazon in which they expressed deep sadness at the passing of a member during work.The report cited the 911 calls in which one employee said that the person who fell to the ground had extensive blood coming from the head. It said that while the man lay dead for more than an hour, the work in the facility was going on as usual, as workers were instructed to continue fetching, picking, loading items and the management was deliberating what to do next. All workers who spoke to Western Edge sought anonymity and they claimed that even after a week, they did not know how the man, believed to be 46 years old from office records, died. A woman ran to help the man when he collapsed and started to give CPR. Another employee asked her supervisor whether she should give CPR. “It has to be management or safet team. Please get back to work,” the supervisor reportedly said. “Just turn around and not look. Let’s get back to work,” the supervisor added.The man who died on April 6 was a “tote runner” a job in which one has to gather stacks of yellow plastic bins as tall as a person, loading them onto a cart and hauling them up and down the long corridors of the warehouse for delivery to other workers who then fill them with goods that go onto trucks. “We’re deeply saddened by the passing of a member of our team, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with their loved ones during this difficult time. We’ve been in touch with his family and have provided resources to support them,” a spokesperson was quoted by the outlet. “For employees at our PDX9 facility, we’ve provided onsite grief counselors and additional support.”
Amazon responds
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said: “We’d like to respond to misinformation circulating about a tragic incident that occurred at our PDX9 facility in Troutdale, OR. Sadly, one of our teammates collapsed during his shift from what we now understand as a pre-existing medical issue.”“When our onsite team was notified, three CPR certified team members, including two from our on-site safety team, provided CPR and deployed an automated defibrillator until emergency medical services (EMS) arrived shortly after. The area where the incident occurred was cordoned off while our safety teams and EMS cared for our employee, which was their top priority … Shortly after this event occurred, employees were sent home with pay for the rest of the day. When we resumed operations the following day, any employee who requested time off was given that time, and onsite grief counselors were provided to anybody who chose to come to work and needed them. We’ve been in touch with our teammate’s family and are providing them resources during this incredibly difficult time, and we’re mourning the loss of a valued member of our team,” she added.
