According to The Western Edge investigation, an Amazon worker allegedly lay dead in an Oregon warehouse for over an hour while colleagues were told to get back to work. The investigation reported that workers were instructed to carry on with their duties while the man lay on the ground, with some allegedly discouraged from helping him. According to Daily Mirror - Main, a manager described telling employees to turn around and not look, and a supervisor described urging them to get back to work.
The worker's death occurred on April 6 at Amazon's distribution centre in Troutdale, Oregon. Emergency services later attended the scene and the area was closed off. The exact cause of death has not been confirmed.
Just turn around and not look. Let's get back to work.
It is unclear how many workers were directly told to get back to work or not to help. Amazon said it is deeply saddened by the passing of a member of its team and its thoughts and deepest sympathies are with their loved ones. The company added that it has been in touch with the worker's family and provided resources to support them.
Amazon said it has provided on-site grief counselors and additional support for employees at its PDX9 facility. The identity of the deceased worker and his family's response to Amazon's support have not been disclosed. The Western Edge investigation also alleged that Amazon attempted to prevent news of the worker's death from becoming public.
Please get back to work.
What specific actions Amazon took in this regard remains unknown. It is not confirmed if there has been any official investigation by authorities into the incident. According to Daily Mirror - Main, an anonymous worker described feeling ashamed and that employees are treated as replaceable numbers.
It has to be management or safety team.
Truthfully, I now have even less respect for our leadership team than I did before, which I didn't know was possible. It makes me feel more ashamed to work there knowing that people can drop dead and we have to carry on knowing it doesn't matter to the higher-ups, and everyone is replaceable.
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. For employees at our PDX9 facility, we’ve provided on-site grief counselors and additional support.