The US Department of Labor is investigating the death of an Amazon worker during Prime Day.
Enlarge
The injury rate in Amazon warehouses is twice that of other companies.
©Amazon
An Amazon employee died at a warehouse in New Jersey during Amazon’s Prime Day event last week. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched an investigation into the incident. In the course of this, the authority also wants to take a closer look at the working conditions in Amazon’s warehouses.
Cause of death not yet known
The last Prime Day discount promotion took place on July 12th and 13th, 2022. The Amazon employee reportedly died last Tuesday. No information has yet been released on the cause of death or the identity of the man.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of one of our colleagues and extend our condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time,”
according to the official statement from Amazon.
Authority examines working conditions
In its investigation, the US Department of Labor wants to review the working conditions in Amazon warehouses in New York City, Chicago and Orlando. Among other things, the aim here is to find out whether the working pace prescribed by Amazon creates unsafe working conditions for the employees. Amazon assured the authority of its cooperation. The company is certain that the concerns would turn out to be unfounded in the course of the investigation. According to regulators, the injury rate at Amazon warehouses is almost twice that of other warehouses. Amazon wants to counteract this with new training programs for employees.
