The Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois where six drivers were killed during a tornado last year has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for three “risk factors,” according to a letter sent by the agency.
The letter details three key risk factors that OSHA identified in the warehouse’s preparedness for a natural disaster: the lack of readily available audible warning devices, confusion among staff about where the tornado shelter was, and the lack of specificity in the written safety plan for the warehouse.
According to the letter, which OSHA released, a megaphone that was supposed to be used to warn workers was locked in a cage and not accessible. The management instead “adapted to the situation by verbally communicating warnings to personnel, instructing them to take shelter in the restroom,” but employees were also “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.”
Interviews conducted by OSHA found some employees “did not recall the location of the … designated severe weather shelter-in-place,” and “did not recall ever participating in any severe weather or shelter-in place drills.”
The letter also called out the warehouse’s Emergency Action Plan, saying the plan contained elements that would not be encountered in Illinois and “was not customized with specific instructions associated with the anticipated hazards expected for this facility.”
The plan also did not specify the location of the shelter in the facility, but the letter says a facility evacuation map posted in the warehouse did correctly identify the tornado shelter.
OSHA recommended the warehouse rectify these three errors. The agency recommended all audio warning devices be easily accessible; that all employees, vendors, and contractors participate in drills for extreme weather; and that it revise the warehouse action plan to include specifics about the Edwardsville warehouse.
In a statement, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said that management “did the right thing, moving people to shelter as soon as the warning was issued.” She added that while OSHA did not find any violations at the facility or cause for citation, the company has “already begun conducting additional safety and emergency preparedness drills at our sites and will carefully consider any OSHA recommendations that we have not already.”
Several drivers are suing over the accident and the “devastating physical and emotional injuries” suffered by the survivors of the tornadoes. The incident is also being investigated by the House Oversight Committee.
This post has been updated with comment from Amazon.