UPDATED
Amazon's casualties in Illinois aren't an isolated incident
The site of a roof collapse at an Amazon.com distribution centre a day after a series of tornadoes dealt a blow to several U.S. states, in Edwardsville, Illinois, U.S. December 11, 2021.
REUTERS/Drone Base
Bryan Menegus
·Senior News Editor
Mon, December 13, 2021
Tornadoes ripped through six states on Friday, killing dozens. Among the dead were six workers at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, IL, which collapsed while they sheltered inside. The incident is now the subject of an OSHA investigation.
The mass casualty event is likely Kentucky's "deadliest tornado system in state history," according to ABC. The twisters also touched down in December, well outside the normal tornado season. While this may have been an unusually extreme weather event for many reasons, Amazon's decision to schedule its orkers during potentially deadly conditions isn't. Reportedly, at the time the cyclone touched down in warehouse's parking lot — producing winds estimated at 155 miles per hour — the facility was not only operating, but undergoing a shift change.
Amazon operates a staggering number of fulfillment, sortation and delivery centers across the country, and as a result, some of them are bound to be taken by surprise by the forces of nature. Excessive snow on the roof of one warehouse in Pennsylvania resulted in an evacuation when workers noticed the it buckling. Two contractors were killed by a collapsing wall when a tornado touched down without warning in Baltimore.
But the National Weather Service had been warning of possible tornadoes 36 hours ahead of the deaths in Edwardsville; the morning before the storms it cautioned of the "likely threat" of "damaging winds in excess of 60 mph." Edwardsville is in what FEMA categorizes as Wind Zone IV, the part of the country at the greatest risk of tornadoes.
Amazon is perhaps better known in media coverage for its punishing productivity goals. But its operating standards have produced a pattern of incidents where workers were expected to clock in during extreme weather events. Warehouses stayed open during tropical depression Ida in September, the torrential rains of which caused widespread flooding and led to 14 deaths in New York. Some of Amazon's drivers told me they were delivering packages through the floodwaters of hurricane Irma back in 2017.
The Camp Fire of 2018 was the deadliest and costliest wildfire in California's history. Smoke from the destruction also briefly made Sacramento the most polluted city on earth. Despite air quality warnings being issued for the city on November 8th, an Amazon warehouse there did not send its workers home until the afternoon of the 10th.
By far, however, the most pervasive issue across Amazon's warehouses has been extreme heat. Workers in the Pacific Northwest were expected to report for duty during a historic heatwave this past summer which was eventually deemed a mass casualty event. Specifically, a worker complained that some areas of a warehouse in Kent lacked fans, and estimated temperature inside hit 90 degrees. New York warehouse workers also reported fainting and excessive heat around the same time. In May of this year, excessive heat led to a death inside the company's Bessemer, Alabama warehouse.
These are only some of the most recent examples. Workers have been lodging similar complaints for at least a decade about dangerous temperatures inside Amazon's facilities in Chicago, Portland and Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, among others. Even when immediate symptoms like fainting, vomiting or heat stroke are not present, long term heat exposure can exacerbate existing health problems such as heart conditions and asthma.
None of this speaks to criticisms of Amazon's safety measures related to COVID-19, or its objectively sky-high injury rate compared to other warehousing operations.
What's concerning is that, according to the overwhelming majority of the scientific community, severe winds, rain and heat are likely to get worse due to man-made climate change. Amazon, however, has not offered a satisfactory explanation for why it continues to schedule shifts during potentially deadly weather, nor would it provide Engadget with any details of the extreme weather plan in effect at the Edwardsville facility.
“We’re deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, IL," an Amazon spokesperson told Engadget. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by the tornado. We also want to thank all the first responders for their ongoing efforts on scene. We’re continuing to provide support to our employees and partners in the area.”
Bryan Menegus
·Senior News Editor
Mon, December 13, 2021
Tornadoes ripped through six states on Friday, killing dozens. Among the dead were six workers at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, IL, which collapsed while they sheltered inside. The incident is now the subject of an OSHA investigation.
The mass casualty event is likely Kentucky's "deadliest tornado system in state history," according to ABC. The twisters also touched down in December, well outside the normal tornado season. While this may have been an unusually extreme weather event for many reasons, Amazon's decision to schedule its orkers during potentially deadly conditions isn't. Reportedly, at the time the cyclone touched down in warehouse's parking lot — producing winds estimated at 155 miles per hour — the facility was not only operating, but undergoing a shift change.
Amazon operates a staggering number of fulfillment, sortation and delivery centers across the country, and as a result, some of them are bound to be taken by surprise by the forces of nature. Excessive snow on the roof of one warehouse in Pennsylvania resulted in an evacuation when workers noticed the it buckling. Two contractors were killed by a collapsing wall when a tornado touched down without warning in Baltimore.
But the National Weather Service had been warning of possible tornadoes 36 hours ahead of the deaths in Edwardsville; the morning before the storms it cautioned of the "likely threat" of "damaging winds in excess of 60 mph." Edwardsville is in what FEMA categorizes as Wind Zone IV, the part of the country at the greatest risk of tornadoes.
Amazon is perhaps better known in media coverage for its punishing productivity goals. But its operating standards have produced a pattern of incidents where workers were expected to clock in during extreme weather events. Warehouses stayed open during tropical depression Ida in September, the torrential rains of which caused widespread flooding and led to 14 deaths in New York. Some of Amazon's drivers told me they were delivering packages through the floodwaters of hurricane Irma back in 2017.
The Camp Fire of 2018 was the deadliest and costliest wildfire in California's history. Smoke from the destruction also briefly made Sacramento the most polluted city on earth. Despite air quality warnings being issued for the city on November 8th, an Amazon warehouse there did not send its workers home until the afternoon of the 10th.
By far, however, the most pervasive issue across Amazon's warehouses has been extreme heat. Workers in the Pacific Northwest were expected to report for duty during a historic heatwave this past summer which was eventually deemed a mass casualty event. Specifically, a worker complained that some areas of a warehouse in Kent lacked fans, and estimated temperature inside hit 90 degrees. New York warehouse workers also reported fainting and excessive heat around the same time. In May of this year, excessive heat led to a death inside the company's Bessemer, Alabama warehouse.
These are only some of the most recent examples. Workers have been lodging similar complaints for at least a decade about dangerous temperatures inside Amazon's facilities in Chicago, Portland and Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, among others. Even when immediate symptoms like fainting, vomiting or heat stroke are not present, long term heat exposure can exacerbate existing health problems such as heart conditions and asthma.
None of this speaks to criticisms of Amazon's safety measures related to COVID-19, or its objectively sky-high injury rate compared to other warehousing operations.
What's concerning is that, according to the overwhelming majority of the scientific community, severe winds, rain and heat are likely to get worse due to man-made climate change. Amazon, however, has not offered a satisfactory explanation for why it continues to schedule shifts during potentially deadly weather, nor would it provide Engadget with any details of the extreme weather plan in effect at the Edwardsville facility.
“We’re deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, IL," an Amazon spokesperson told Engadget. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by the tornado. We also want to thank all the first responders for their ongoing efforts on scene. We’re continuing to provide support to our employees and partners in the area.”
It's 'inexcusable' that Amazon asked staff to work during severe weather that collapsed a warehouse roof in Illinois, union says
insider@insider.com (Isobel Asher Hamilton)
At least six Amazon workers died after the roof of an Illinois warehouse fell in on Friday.
Officials said the collapse was due to the warehouse being hit by a severe weather event.
The head of a major workers' union said it was "inexcusable" Amazon required staff to work.
Amazon should not have had staff working at an Illinois warehouse when a tornado caused its roof to collapse, the head of a major workers' union said.
The roof of the facility in Edwardsville fell in on Friday evening, leaving at least six workers dead. Local officials said the collapse was caused by extreme weather events.
"Time and time again Amazon puts its bottom line above the lives of its employees. Requiring workers to work through such a major tornado warning event as this was inexcusable," the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, Stuart Appelbaum, said in a statement released Saturday.
"This is another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this. Amazon cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hard working people's lives at risk. Our union will not back down until Amazon is held accountable for these and so many more dangerous labor practices," he added.
An Amazon spokesperson told the Associated Press when a site is made aware of a tornado warning, all employees are notified and directed to move to a shelter, but declined to answer, when asked by AP, when it warned employees.
Edwardsville fire chief James Whiteford said during a press conference on Saturday that a shift change had been underway when the collapse took place, Insider's Bethany Dawson and Kelsey Vlamis reported.
Amazon did not immediately respond when contacted by Insider for comment about Appelbaum's statement.
The RWDSU was involved in an effort earlier this year to unionize a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama.
The workers in the Bessemer warehouse voted against forming a union with the RWDSU in April, but the National Labor Relations Board ordered a second election for workers in November saying Amazon had made "a free and fair election impossible."
Amazon was not the only employer to have staff working during the severe weather events that ripped through Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri this weekend. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he fears over 50 workers at a candle factory may be dead after it was hit by a tornado on Friday.
insider@insider.com (Isobel Asher Hamilton)
© Provided by Business Insider Emergency vehicles surround the site of an Amazon distribution warehouse with a collapsed roof, after storms hit the area of Edwardsville, Illinois, US December 10, 2021. REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant
At least six Amazon workers died after the roof of an Illinois warehouse fell in on Friday.
Officials said the collapse was due to the warehouse being hit by a severe weather event.
The head of a major workers' union said it was "inexcusable" Amazon required staff to work.
Amazon should not have had staff working at an Illinois warehouse when a tornado caused its roof to collapse, the head of a major workers' union said.
The roof of the facility in Edwardsville fell in on Friday evening, leaving at least six workers dead. Local officials said the collapse was caused by extreme weather events.
"Time and time again Amazon puts its bottom line above the lives of its employees. Requiring workers to work through such a major tornado warning event as this was inexcusable," the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, Stuart Appelbaum, said in a statement released Saturday.
"This is another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this. Amazon cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hard working people's lives at risk. Our union will not back down until Amazon is held accountable for these and so many more dangerous labor practices," he added.
An Amazon spokesperson told the Associated Press when a site is made aware of a tornado warning, all employees are notified and directed to move to a shelter, but declined to answer, when asked by AP, when it warned employees.
Edwardsville fire chief James Whiteford said during a press conference on Saturday that a shift change had been underway when the collapse took place, Insider's Bethany Dawson and Kelsey Vlamis reported.
Amazon did not immediately respond when contacted by Insider for comment about Appelbaum's statement.
The RWDSU was involved in an effort earlier this year to unionize a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama.
The workers in the Bessemer warehouse voted against forming a union with the RWDSU in April, but the National Labor Relations Board ordered a second election for workers in November saying Amazon had made "a free and fair election impossible."
Amazon was not the only employer to have staff working during the severe weather events that ripped through Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri this weekend. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he fears over 50 workers at a candle factory may be dead after it was hit by a tornado on Friday.
Rebecca Klar
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is launching a probe into the fatal collapse of an Amazon facility in Illinois after it was hit by a tornado, the agency said Monday.
© AP Photo/Jeff Roberson OSHA probes Amazon's fatal warehouse collapse
OSHA has had compliance officers at the complex in Edwardsville, Ill. since Saturday to provide assistance, according to agency spokesperson Scott Allen.
Six people died and one was transferred to a regional hospital after a tornado hit the 1.1-million-square-foot delivery station center on Friday, according to officials.
OSHA has six months to complete its investigation, including issuing citations and proposing monetary penalties if safety or health violations are found, Allen said.
An Amazon spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the probe.
After news of the six fatalities broke, spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company is "deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, IL."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by the tornado. We also want to thank all the first responders for their ongoing efforts on scene. We're continuing to provide support to our employees and partners in the area," Nantel said in a statement.
Worker groups including the Athena Coalition and Warehouse Workers for Justice have criticized Amazon's handling of the situation, calling for an outside investigation.
"Given Amazon's history having workers work through emergency conditions across the country, as well as normal disregard for worker safety, we require immediate answers from @Amazon," the Athena Coalition tweeted.
The National Weather Services issued a tornado warning at 8:06 p.m., about 23 minutes before the tornado hit Edwardsville. The storm prediction center had issued a tornado watch for Madison County around 5:20 p.m., according to Mark Britt, a meteorologist at the National Weather Services based in St. Louis.
Amazon spokesperson Alisa Caroll said the onsite team at the facility "immediately moved to ensure all team members went to the designated shelter in place locations," when the tornado warning came in from local authorities.
The Hill pressed Carroll for details as to how many workers were on site at the time and how many made it to shelter in place, but the spokesperson did not immediately respond with the information.
The station opened in July 2020 and employs about 190 people across multiple shifts, according to Amazon.
OSHA has had compliance officers at the complex in Edwardsville, Ill. since Saturday to provide assistance, according to agency spokesperson Scott Allen.
Six people died and one was transferred to a regional hospital after a tornado hit the 1.1-million-square-foot delivery station center on Friday, according to officials.
OSHA has six months to complete its investigation, including issuing citations and proposing monetary penalties if safety or health violations are found, Allen said.
An Amazon spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the probe.
After news of the six fatalities broke, spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company is "deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, IL."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by the tornado. We also want to thank all the first responders for their ongoing efforts on scene. We're continuing to provide support to our employees and partners in the area," Nantel said in a statement.
Worker groups including the Athena Coalition and Warehouse Workers for Justice have criticized Amazon's handling of the situation, calling for an outside investigation.
"Given Amazon's history having workers work through emergency conditions across the country, as well as normal disregard for worker safety, we require immediate answers from @Amazon," the Athena Coalition tweeted.
The National Weather Services issued a tornado warning at 8:06 p.m., about 23 minutes before the tornado hit Edwardsville. The storm prediction center had issued a tornado watch for Madison County around 5:20 p.m., according to Mark Britt, a meteorologist at the National Weather Services based in St. Louis.
Amazon spokesperson Alisa Caroll said the onsite team at the facility "immediately moved to ensure all team members went to the designated shelter in place locations," when the tornado warning came in from local authorities.
The Hill pressed Carroll for details as to how many workers were on site at the time and how many made it to shelter in place, but the spokesperson did not immediately respond with the information.
The station opened in July 2020 and employs about 190 people across multiple shifts, according to Amazon.
An Amazon driver died while sheltering in the warehouse bathroom when a tornado hit, his colleague said
sbaker@businessinsider.com (Sinéad Baker)
Austin J. McEwen is among the six people killed after a tornado hit an Amazon warehouse in Illinois.
Brian Erdmann told Reuters that McEwen was sheltering in the bathroom when it happened.
Erdmann said he likely only survived because he was out making a delivery.
An Amazon driver died while sheltering in the warehouse bathroom as a tornado hit Illinois, his colleague told Reuters.
Austin J. McEwen, 26, was one of at least six Amazon employees who died after a wall and a roof collapsed on Friday night, trapping workers inside.
"He was my friend and he didn't make it," Brian Erdmann said of McEwen in an interview with Reuters.
Erdmann said he was on his way to the warehouse to make a delivery when the tornado hit, so he was not harmed.
"If I would have got back 45 minutes earlier, I probably would have been at the same place. I would have been right there with him," he said.
Amazon did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Amazon staff have complained about the company's cellphone ban when speaking to Bloomberg after the disaster.
Multiple tornadoes hit Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
Kentucky has been the most impacted. Gov. Andy Beshear said on Sunday that at least 80 people were killed, and the death toll could exceed 100.
He then said, according to the BBC: "We're still hoping as we move forward for some miracles to find more people."
Bethany Biron
Sun, December 12, 2021
Workers remove debris from an Amazon Fulfillment Center in Edwardsville, Illinois, on December 11, 2021, after it was hit by a tornado.Tim Vizer/AFP via Getty Images
Amazon workers are pushing back against a phone ban after six employees died when a warehouse collapsed in Illinois.
The long-running policy had been relaxed during the pandemic, but is being reinstated around the country.
"After these deaths, there is no way in hell I am relying on Amazon to keep me safe," a staffer told Bloomberg.
Amazon employees are speaking out about the return of a controversial mobile phone ban after devastating tornadoes ripped through the Midwest on Friday, destroying an Illinois warehouse and killing at least six employees.
Though the e-commerce giant had previously relaxed its strict rules prohibiting phones on the warehouse floor during the pandemic, it has been slowly reintroducing the ban across the country, Bloomberg reported. Amazon initially revoked the protocol to allow for staffers to get in touch with loved ones or health care providers in case of emergency.
However, as the ban returns to Amazon locations, several employees told Bloomberg they are once again questioning the policy and expressing fear for their safety after the collapse of an Edwardsville, Illinois, warehouse left at least six workers dead and an unknown number missing on Friday.
Edwardsville officials reported that a wall the size of a football field and the roof above it collapsed at the warehouse when severe storms hit the region, leaving an unidentified number of Amazon employees trapped among the rubble.
Rescue crews arrived on the scene immediately, where one worker was airlifted to a nearby hospital and 45 staffers were evacuated from the ruins, according to Edwardsville fire chief James Whiteford. Whiteford said he expects the recovery effort to continue for an additional three days.
In Kentucky, which bore the brunt of the tornadoes, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on Sunday he feared at least 80 people were killed, but the death toll may surpass 100. In addition to Illinois and Kentucky, the storms also tore through parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, and Missouri.
Amazon staffers speaking to Bloomberg expressed concern that banning phones would leave them incapable of quickly calling for help or accessing information about imminent storms or other dangerous conditions that might put them in peril.
"After these deaths, there is no way in hell I am relying on Amazon to keep me safe," an Amazon worker from a nearby facility in Illinois told Bloomberg. "If they institute the no cell phone policy, I am resigning."
"After this, everyone is definitely afraid of not being able to keep their phones on them," another worker told Bloomberg. "Most employees that I've talked to don't keep their phones on them for personal conversation throughout the day, It's genuinely for situations like this."
Warehouse Workers for Justice, an organization that works to organize Amazon workers in Illinois, said in a statement that it is calling on state legislators to hold a hearing to ensure all facilities "are places of safety for workers and that no family has to worry whether or not their loved ones will make it home from work after an extreme weather event."
"While natural disasters are not controllable, Amazon's preparedness and safety protocols are," Warehouse Workers for Justice said in the statement.
Amazon did not immediately respond to Insider's request to comment on the phone ban and if it has plans to readjust the policy. In a statement yesterday, a representative for Amazon said the company was "deeply saddened by the news" of the Illinois warehouse.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by the storm," the Amazon representative said. "We also want to thank all the first responders for their ongoing efforts on scene."
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wrote on Twitter on Saturday night that he was "heartbroken over the loss," a statement that came following criticism that the executive had been late to comment on the tragedy. Earlier in the day, Bezos shared a photo to Instagram with the Blue Origin space crew, the next team to board the New Shepard rocket.
"All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis," Bezos wrote on Twitter. "We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site."
Read the original article on Business Insider
sbaker@businessinsider.com (Sinéad Baker)
The site of partially collapsed Amazon distribution center after a tornado in Edwardsville, Illinois.
REUTERS/Drone Base
Austin J. McEwen is among the six people killed after a tornado hit an Amazon warehouse in Illinois.
Brian Erdmann told Reuters that McEwen was sheltering in the bathroom when it happened.
Erdmann said he likely only survived because he was out making a delivery.
An Amazon driver died while sheltering in the warehouse bathroom as a tornado hit Illinois, his colleague told Reuters.
Austin J. McEwen, 26, was one of at least six Amazon employees who died after a wall and a roof collapsed on Friday night, trapping workers inside.
"He was my friend and he didn't make it," Brian Erdmann said of McEwen in an interview with Reuters.
Erdmann said he was on his way to the warehouse to make a delivery when the tornado hit, so he was not harmed.
"If I would have got back 45 minutes earlier, I probably would have been at the same place. I would have been right there with him," he said.
Amazon did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Amazon staff have complained about the company's cellphone ban when speaking to Bloomberg after the disaster.
Multiple tornadoes hit Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
Kentucky has been the most impacted. Gov. Andy Beshear said on Sunday that at least 80 people were killed, and the death toll could exceed 100.
He then said, according to the BBC: "We're still hoping as we move forward for some miracles to find more people."
Amazon employees speak out against controversial phone ban after deadly tornado kills at least 6 warehouse workers in Edwardsville, Illinois
Bethany Biron
Sun, December 12, 2021
Workers remove debris from an Amazon Fulfillment Center in Edwardsville, Illinois, on December 11, 2021, after it was hit by a tornado.Tim Vizer/AFP via Getty Images
Amazon workers are pushing back against a phone ban after six employees died when a warehouse collapsed in Illinois.
The long-running policy had been relaxed during the pandemic, but is being reinstated around the country.
"After these deaths, there is no way in hell I am relying on Amazon to keep me safe," a staffer told Bloomberg.
Amazon employees are speaking out about the return of a controversial mobile phone ban after devastating tornadoes ripped through the Midwest on Friday, destroying an Illinois warehouse and killing at least six employees.
Though the e-commerce giant had previously relaxed its strict rules prohibiting phones on the warehouse floor during the pandemic, it has been slowly reintroducing the ban across the country, Bloomberg reported. Amazon initially revoked the protocol to allow for staffers to get in touch with loved ones or health care providers in case of emergency.
However, as the ban returns to Amazon locations, several employees told Bloomberg they are once again questioning the policy and expressing fear for their safety after the collapse of an Edwardsville, Illinois, warehouse left at least six workers dead and an unknown number missing on Friday.
Edwardsville officials reported that a wall the size of a football field and the roof above it collapsed at the warehouse when severe storms hit the region, leaving an unidentified number of Amazon employees trapped among the rubble.
Rescue crews arrived on the scene immediately, where one worker was airlifted to a nearby hospital and 45 staffers were evacuated from the ruins, according to Edwardsville fire chief James Whiteford. Whiteford said he expects the recovery effort to continue for an additional three days.
In Kentucky, which bore the brunt of the tornadoes, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on Sunday he feared at least 80 people were killed, but the death toll may surpass 100. In addition to Illinois and Kentucky, the storms also tore through parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, and Missouri.
Amazon staffers speaking to Bloomberg expressed concern that banning phones would leave them incapable of quickly calling for help or accessing information about imminent storms or other dangerous conditions that might put them in peril.
"After these deaths, there is no way in hell I am relying on Amazon to keep me safe," an Amazon worker from a nearby facility in Illinois told Bloomberg. "If they institute the no cell phone policy, I am resigning."
"After this, everyone is definitely afraid of not being able to keep their phones on them," another worker told Bloomberg. "Most employees that I've talked to don't keep their phones on them for personal conversation throughout the day, It's genuinely for situations like this."
Warehouse Workers for Justice, an organization that works to organize Amazon workers in Illinois, said in a statement that it is calling on state legislators to hold a hearing to ensure all facilities "are places of safety for workers and that no family has to worry whether or not their loved ones will make it home from work after an extreme weather event."
"While natural disasters are not controllable, Amazon's preparedness and safety protocols are," Warehouse Workers for Justice said in the statement.
Amazon did not immediately respond to Insider's request to comment on the phone ban and if it has plans to readjust the policy. In a statement yesterday, a representative for Amazon said the company was "deeply saddened by the news" of the Illinois warehouse.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by the storm," the Amazon representative said. "We also want to thank all the first responders for their ongoing efforts on scene."
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wrote on Twitter on Saturday night that he was "heartbroken over the loss," a statement that came following criticism that the executive had been late to comment on the tragedy. Earlier in the day, Bezos shared a photo to Instagram with the Blue Origin space crew, the next team to board the New Shepard rocket.
"All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis," Bezos wrote on Twitter. "We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site."
Read the original article on Business Insider
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