FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS – Emergency procedures at Amazon’s warehouse in Edwardsville met minimal safety guidelines when a tornado killed six people on Dec. 10, according to U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
Area director Aaron Priddy raised concerns in a hazard letter to Amazon on April 26, but he wrote that no standard of the agency applied.
It wasn’t appropriate at this time to invoke a general duty clause requiring employers to furnish places of employment free from deadly hazards, according to Priddy.
He recommended that Amazon voluntarily take necessary steps to eliminate or materially reduce exposure of employees to risks.
He referred to employees throughout the letter, but no Amazon employee died.
A companion press release identified five victims as delivery service providers.
On its website Amazon invites such potential drivers to “start your own business as an Amazon delivery service provider.”
Amazon declares itself “proud to partner with thousands of delivery service providers around the world.”
Those victims worked for Jeff Martin of AB&C in Belleville, Alexis Morris of Boxify Logistics in St. Louis, and Kenneth Cobbs of XSeed Delivery in Bolingbrook.
The sixth victim worked for commercial property manager CBRE, formerly Coldwell Banker, in Seattle.
According to Priddy, the warehouse’s emergency plan identified a megaphone for activating a shelter procedure, but it was locked in a cage.
He wrote that management adapted by verbally communicating instructions to take shelter in the restroom.
“Some employees were unaware the designated tornado shelter was the restroom located in the northern portion of the building and instead took shelter in the restroom located in the southern portion of the building,” Priddy wrote.
The emergency plan “was not customized with specific instructions associated with the anticipated hazards expected for this facility,” he wrote.
He wrote that it didn’t specifically identify the location of the designated shelter.
He wrote that feasible methods of control might include providing training and participation in drills for all employees including vendors.
Two new lawsuits were filed on April 19 against Amazon and other defendants on behalf of the family of deceased driver Deandre Morrow. The other was filed on behalf of injured delivery drivers Jamarco Hickman, Evan Jensen, Jada Williams and Deontae Yancey.