Amazon worker dies on warehouse floor; colleagues continue working around his body – ‘Let’s get back to work’
In a shocking incident, an Amazon worker in Troutdale, Oregon, died at work, allegedly going unnoticed for an extended period of time. A company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the incident occurred at the distribution center last week.
According to The Western Edge, the worker collapsed at the PDX9 warehouse. He was reportedly left unattended for more than an hour while others continued to work around him. The man is believed to have died on Monday, April 6. It was stated that he was 46 years old.
The report also claimed that workers were instructed to continue the operation for more than an hour after the incident. While the man’s body remained on the ground, employees continued to bring in bags, collect items from shelves, and load packages onto trucks.
It is also claimed that senior managers did not stop activities immediately after the incident.
The exact cause of death is unknown.
Manager tells employee: ‘Just turn around and don’t look’
Recalling the manager’s response, one employee told The Western Edge: “Just turn around and don’t look. Let’s get back to work.”
Later, medical teams came to the facility and closed the section of the warehouse where the incident occurred.
Employees react
Reportedly, the death caused employees at the facility to worry about their health and safety.
“I’m having trouble sleeping,” one employee told the portal. “I have a lot of anxiety about going back into that building.”
Reacting to the incident, several people on Reddit discussed what could have caused this. One said multiple injuries had been reported at the facility, while another claimed the building had become unusually hot.
One user wrote in the comments: “Rest in peace. My condolences to the families and everyone affected. Portland Fire and Rescue posted this as Arrest of Heart. This heat is no joke. The building was very hot and stuffy today. I’m not saying it caused anything but conditions like these are definitely not safe, especially in early April. They need to do something, open the vents or improve the air flow. They also have sound curtains they put on AFE1 & AFE2… whether this affects the ventilation in the floors “I wonder if it doesn’t affect you?”
“This building is known to have a lot of injuries. At least they had the decency and respect to send everyone home,” another added.
Another person wrote, “This comes right after I reported that the fans were not working at all, or at all, and one day I had to leave early due to overheating (nausea and dizziness). The building heat was not turned off after the sound curtains were drawn, meaning our 15 minute break (5 minute walk) wasn’t actually cooling us down at all.”
Check out more reviews here:
Amazon responds
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Amazon also confirmed the incident. “We are 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,” Sam Stephenson told TechCrunch.
“We have contacted his family and provided them with resources to support them. For employees of our PDX9 facility, we have provided on-site grief counselors and additional support. We are grateful for the work of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department and local emergency medical services.”
Live Mint was unable to independently verify the claims.
