OSHA Probes Amazon Warehouse Where Workers Died With no Tornado Shelter
Source: Ars Technica
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced yesterday that it is opening an investigation into the deaths of six workers at an Amazon warehouse in Illinois that was struck by a massive tornado, one of more than 40 that ripped through the region over the weekend.
Nearly half of the 1.1 million-square-foot building was demolished as winds as high as 150 mph (240 kph) tore through the structure. The west-facing walls of the warehouse collapsed inward, which was followed by multiple structural failures as the tornado moved through the complex, the National Weather Service said.
The first warnings came relatively early, at 8:06 pm and again at 8:16 pm, when the NWS issued tornado warnings. A "warning" means that a twister has been sighted or radar data suggests one will form. The NWS says that the tornado formed at 8:28 pm as an EF-0, the lowest on the scale, and quickly intensified to an EF-3 as it moved across Interstate 255. More than 20 minutes elapsed between the first warning and touchdown, over double the average lead time.
Amazon told CNBC that warehouse managers directed workers to find shelter at 8:16 pm, which coincides with the second tornado warning. Most workers huddled in bathrooms on the north end of the building, but a smaller group took shelter on the south end, which was demolished by the tornado. Six workers were killed, while 45 survived.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/12/osha-investigates-amazon-after-6-die-in-warehouse-struck-by-tornado/?comments=1
Cracklin Charlie
(12,904 posts)In Edwardsville, IL?
They are 12 miles east of the Mississippi River. They get huge storms, winter, spring, summer and fall.
This seems criminal, if true.
IronLionZion
(45,528 posts)Conservatives are all about job creation but are fine with killing lots of workers.
Watch these mofos in the GOP talk about regulations killing American businesses.
DURHAM D
(32,611 posts)Not aware of any rules regarding commercial structures. Hope there are some rules.
IL Dem
(815 posts)My understanding is that OSHA investigation is SOP after workplace fatalities.
Geez, I worked at an airline HQ in tornado alley.
We had evacuation drills for fire and bombs. But if there was a tornado shelter for the 1000+ people who worked there, I never heard of it.
And one of my relatives was the head of building security so I heard everything.
radicalleft
(480 posts)I think we'll find that the code was/is inadequate
yaesu
(8,020 posts)when you have a rich royalty in a country where life after birth is worthless shit happens.
CloudWatcher
(1,851 posts)They chose not to. It's all a matter of what's really important. Worker bees are disposable.
yaesu
(8,020 posts)lillypaddle
(9,581 posts)I thought this was a family owned candle factory. Were they subcontracting to Amazon?
forgotmylogin
(7,530 posts)The candle factory I think was in Kentucky. The Amazon warehouse was in Edwardsville, IL.
The tornados were all over the midwest.
lillypaddle
(9,581 posts)Seems like they talk about both in the same breath. I'm good, now.
Budi
(15,325 posts)..in the same area.
OSHA's going to be busy
tanyev
(42,613 posts)If there's a big storm bearing down I probably wouldn't want to get out on the road, but I sure as heck would want to be working in a place that had adequate storm shelter space for all employees. It's unconscionable that any relatively modern building could be built without sufficient provision for typical weather emergencies in that region.
gldstwmn
(4,575 posts)Javaman
(62,534 posts)when the tornado alarms were going off. threatened to fire them if they left out of their own safety.