Technology
Amazon is fixing the AC at a warehouse where a worker died on Prime Day

Amazon is reportedly putting in new air con gear and extra followers at its EWR9 warehouse in New Jersey, in line with a report by NBC Information. This comes after Reynaldo Mota Frias, a employee on the facility, died on July thirteenth, throughout the Prime Day rush, on a day when temperatures rose to 92 levels. Amazon reportedly blames Frias’ demise on “a private medical situation” and denies reports that he advised managers he was feeling unwell. An investigation by the Occupational Security and Well being Administration (or OSHA) is listed as ongoing.
One other worker at EWR9 advised NBC that the warehouse will get sizzling, even in areas which have followers. The corporate has confronted criticism from employees earlier than about the way it handles workloads throughout the more and more heat summers — final yr, among the firm’s warehouse employees in Kent, Washington mentioned they needed to work “energy hours” throughout a historic warmth wave within the area. Earlier this yr, a letter from US lawmakers cited that incident whereas demanding solutions from the corporate about its extreme climate insurance policies.
Whereas it’s nonetheless unclear what if any function warmth performed in Frias’ demise, Amazon doesn’t have the best popularity in the case of retaining its employees protected. Earlier this yr, an advocacy group printed a report claiming that the corporate’s warehouse workers had been twice as more likely to be injured than folks working related jobs at different firms. And final month, OSHA reportedly expanded a nationwide investigation into office security on the firm, wanting into whether or not the tempo it units for its employees pushes them to behave in unsafe methods. The US Lawyer for the Southern District of New York says the investigation can also be attempting to see if the corporate has “appropriately reported on-the-job accidents” to authorities businesses.
Amazon didn’t instantly reply to The Verge’s request for touch upon the air con set up at EWR9, and whether or not it was taking related measures at different amenities. Sam Stephenson, a spokesperson for the corporate, advised NBC Information that Amazon consistently measures temperatures in its amenities, and that it has security groups that can “take motion to deal with any temperature-related points.”
In line with NBC’s report, administration at EWR9 has responded to Frias’ demise by handing out additional snacks and water, in addition to posting charts meant to assist employees decide whether or not they’re dehydrated based mostly on the colour of their urine. The later seems to be a comparatively frequent piece of recommendation from the corporate — it was additionally referenced in a pamphlet leaked final summer time that was reportedly meant to assist workers put together for his or her lives as “industrial athletes.”