It was discovered that bringing in mobile phones was prohibited in the Amazon warehouse that collapsed in the tornado and caused death
On December 10, 2021, local time, a tornado that struck central United States destroyed an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois. Employees are prohibited from bringing mobile phones into the warehouse in all Amazon warehouses, but Amazon complains about the rules, saying that it is difficult to deal with emergencies like this one. It is erupting from the company.
Deadly Collapse at Amazon Warehouse Puts Spotlight on Phone Ban --Bloomberg
Amazon Workers Say Warehouses Lack Safety After Collapse
https://theintercept.com/2021/12/13/amazon-illinois-tornado-safety-protocols/
OSHA opens probe into deadly Amazon warehouse collapse in Illinois
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/13/osha-opens-probe-into-deadly-amazon-warehouse-collapse-in-illinois.html
A tornado that occurred on December 10 in six states, including Illinois, struck Amazon's distribution center warehouse in Edwardsville, southwestern Illinois. The tornado destroyed the Amazon warehouse, trapping more than 100 employees and killing at least six people.
Amazon warehouse collapses in tornado that hit Illinois, killing at least 6 people-GIGAZINE
For years, Amazon has banned warehouse employees from bringing mobile phones into the warehouse, and to ensure this, we use metal detectors to perform security checks. With the pandemic of the new coronavirus, Amazon temporarily lifted the rule of prohibiting mobile phones, but it seems that this rule is gradually being revived in some warehouses.
An Amazon employee who works in a building opposite a collapsed Amazon warehouse said, 'I want to access weather information using my smartphone and access information such as dangerous disasters without interference from Amazon.' 'In Tornado Everyone must be afraid that they can't work with their cell phones in the locker room after the warehouse collapses. Most of the employees I talked to made personal calls during working hours. I told you not to call, 'he said, and is appealing to Amazon to allow him to bring in a mobile phone in order to respond to an emergency like this one.
He also claims that if you are trapped in a warehouse like this one, you can contact the fire department or your family and ask for help if you have a mobile phone. A person working at another Amazon warehouse said, 'If Amazon reinstates the mobile phone prohibition rule, I will retire.'
It seems that the mobile phone prohibition rule was temporarily lifted at the Amazon warehouse in Illinois, but Larry Virden, who died in the collapse, told his girlfriend when the tornado occurred, 'Amazon should go home. It is also clear that he was sending a text message saying 'No.'
Horrifying details are emerging about the tornado disaster at Amazon's warehouse in Illinois, where at least 6 workers were killed on the job.
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) December 13, 2021
Before he died, Larry Virden reportedly texted his girlfriend: 'Amazon won't let us leave.' He leaves behind four children. Pic.twitter.com/3ZRLik9VIs
On the other hand, Amazon refuses to respond to employee suggestions. 'We are creating rules that focus on productivity and efficiency to gain a competitive advantage,' explains Amazon executives about banning mobile phones.
According to a person familiar with Amazon's warehouse construction, the warehouse is designed according to local standards so that it can handle the load of storms and snow. In areas where tornadoes are likely to occur, there is a sturdy evacuation space that uses more reinforcing bars and concrete than others in case of an emergency. However, in 2018, Baltimore's Amazon warehouse collapsed in a storm.
In addition, employees working at Amazon warehouses have testified that they have never received an evacuation drill to respond appropriately to natural disasters. According to anonymous employees, evacuation drills dates back to 2015, with some employees saying, 'I don't know what to do in an emergency.'
In addition, it seems that there are cases where Amazon refuses to 'impossible because the performance of the warehouse deteriorates' to the employee who complains 'I want to go home because a tornado will occur'. An employee working in another warehouse also complained that he was not allowed to take paid leave in the event of a natural disaster, and another employee said, 'If you leave the workplace before the tornado arrives, you will be dismissed.' There are also testimonies that he has been threatened by.
It has also been found that the collapsed Amazon warehouse encrypted this message and hid it inaccessible to most employees when the government issued an emergency alert regarding tornadoes. The Intercept asks Amazon why the alert was encrypted and hidden, but he said he hadn't received a response at the time of writing the article.
In response to these reports, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has embarked on a fact-finding survey of Amazon warehouses.
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