An Amazon worker died at a warehouse in New Jersey last week during the Prime Day rush, according to the Department of Labor.
The unnamed male employee died at Amazon’s EWR9 facility in Carteret, New Jersey, during Amazon’s Prime Day sale, which is traditionally one of the busiest weeks of the year for the online retailer.
Department of Labor spokesman Leni Fortson told The Post that the agency’s occupational safety division, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is “aware of this tragic incident” and is “currently investigating.”
The death occurred at Amazon’s EWR9 facility in Carteret, New Jersey. Google Maps
The agency has six months to conduct an inspection and release its findings, Fortson said. The agency did not provide additional details about how the employee died.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of one of our colleagues and offer our condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time,” said Amazon spokesman Sam Stephenson. “We have reached out to his family to provide support and will provide advice to employees who need additional care.”
Amazon critics, including the organizers who syndicated the JFK8 warehouse on Staten Island in April, say the company’s emphasis on speed puts workers at risk unnecessarily.
By 2021, about half of all warehouse worker injuries occurred at Amazon facilities, though the e-commerce giant accounts for just a third of all warehouse jobs in the US, according to a union report based on OSHA data.
According to the report, injuries at Amazon facilities rose 20% between 2020 and 2021, despite a commitment from Jeff Bezos to address the issue.
Amazon blamed the surge in injuries on a surge in new hires and said the injury rate fell by 13% between 2019 and 2021.
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