Federal probe opened after Amazon worker dies
An Amazon employee died at one of the company's New Jersey fulfillment centers last week during Prime Day, a massive annual sales event that incentivizes people to order in abundance from the online retail giant. The incident prompted a federal investigation led by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a regulatory branch of the U.S. Department of Labor that evaluates and enforces workplace safety standards.
Most details surrounding the worker's death have not been released, nor was the individual identified by name in reports that surfaced this week about the incident. Dave Jamieson, a HuffPost journalist who focuses on labor and first broke the news, confirmed that the employee died at Amazon's EWR9 fulfillment center in Carteret. The Middlesex County borough is located in northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson River, opposite Staten Island and lower Manhattan.
Amazon's latest mega-sale took place on July 12 and July 13. A spokesperson for Amazon, Sam Stephenson, addressed the worker's death in a statement and said the company is offering supportive services to the person's family, as well as other Amazon employees.
"We're deeply saddened by the passing of one of our colleagues and offer our condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time," Stephenson said in the statement. "We've contacted his family to offer support and will provide counseling resources to employees needing additional care."
OSHA's Avenal office is investigating the Amazon worker's death, according to a Labor Department spokesperson. Another spokesperson said the investigation was opened July 14. OSHA has six months to conduct an inspection and release findings from its investigation.The Amazon worker's death comes as the company faces a broader probe by OSHA and federal prosecutors into safety conditions at multiple warehouse across the country. The civil investigation stems from various allegations involving workplace hazards at Amazon facilities, which the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York referred to the Department of Labor. OSHA representatives inspected Amazon warehouses in the Chicago, New York City and Orlando areas on Monday.
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