In a shocking incident, an Amazon employee at Troutdale, Oregon, died at work, allegedly going unnoticed for a significant period. A company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the incident occurred last week at the distribution centre.
According to a report by The Western Edge, the worker collapsed on the floor at the PDX9 warehouse. He reportedly lay unattended for over an hour while others continued working around him. The man is believed to have died on Monday, 6 April. He was reportedly 46 years old.
The report further claimed that workers were instructed to continue operations for more than an hour after the incident. Employees continued fetching totes, picking items off shelves, and loading packages onto trucks while the man’s body remained on the floor.
It is also alleged that top managers did not halt operations immediately following the incident.
The exact cause of death remains unknown.
Supervisor tells employee: ‘Just turn around and not look’
Recalling the supervisor’s response, an employee told The Western Edge, “Just turn around and not look. Let’s get back to work.”
Paramedics later arrived at the facility, and the section of the warehouse where the incident occurred was subsequently closed off.
Employees react
Reportedly, the death has left employees at the facility concerned about their health and safety.
"I’ve struggled to sleep,” an employee told the portal, adding. “I have a lot of anxiety over walking back into that building.”
Reacting to the incident, several people on Reddit debated what could have caused it. While one talked about multiple injuries reported in the facility, another claimed that the building had become unusually hot.
A user wrote in the comments, “Rest in peace. My condolences to their family and everyone affected. Portland Fire and Rescue put it out as a Cardiac Arrest. This heat is no joke. It was soooo hot and stuffy in the building today. Not saying that’s what caused anything, but conditions like that definitely aren’t safe, especially this early in April. They need to do something, open up the vents or improve airflow. Also, those sound curtains they put up in AFE1 & AFE2… wonder if that is affecting ventilation throughout the floors.”
“That building is known for having a large number of injuries. At least they had the decency and respect to send everyone home,” added another.
One more said, “This is coming just after I reported that the fans are not working properly or at all and that I had to leave early one day due to feeling overwhelmingly heated (nauseous and dizzy). After putting up sound curtains, the building heat has not been turned off, which means that our 15-minute break (5 min walking) doesn't actually cool us down at all.”
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Amazon responds
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Amazon confirmed the incident. Kelly Nantel, Amazon spokesperson, told Live Mint, "We’d like to respond to misinformation circulating about a tragic incident that occurred at our PDX9 facility in Troutdale, OR.
"Sadly, one of our teammates collapsed during his shift from what we now understand as a pre-existing medical issue. When our onsite team was notified, three CPR certified team members, including two from our on-site safety team, provided CPR and deployed an automated defibrillator until emergency medical services (EMS) arrived shortly after. The area where the incident occurred was cordoned off while our safety teams and EMS cared for our employee, which was their top priority.
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our employees, and our team focused on ensuring our employee received the care he needed, protecting his privacy, and ensuring the safety of everyone onsite instead of distracting from those efforts by focusing on immediately evacuating other areas of the building in those early moments. Shortly after this event occurred, employees were sent home with pay for the rest of the day. When we resumed operations the following day, any employee who requested time off was given that time, and onsite grief counselors were provided to anybody who chose to come to work and needed them. We’ve been in touch with our teammate’s family and are providing them resources during this incredibly difficult time, and we’re mourning the loss of a valued member of our team.
We remain thankful to the emergency services and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department for their support, and our deepest sympathies remain with all of those impacted by this tragic event.”
