Amazon’s fatal warehouse collapse investigated by OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an probe into the illness of an Amazon warehouse successful Illinois, aft an EF-3 tornado caused major structural harm to the gathering Friday, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN.

At slightest six Amazon workers died astatine the warehouse gathering collapse.

“I tin corroborate that OSHA has opened an probe into the gathering illness astatine the Amazon Warehouse successful Edwardsville IL owed to a tornado. OSHA has had compliance officers astatine the analyzable since Saturday, December 11 to supply assistance,” said Scott Allen, determination manager for nationalist affairs and media relations for the US Department of Labor, successful an email Monday.

Crews usage an excavator to propulsion down pieces of a damaged extortion during hunt and rescue operations astatine the Amazon organisation halfway successful Eadwardsville, Ill., connected Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, aft overnight terrible storms caused the gathering to partially collapse. A monstrous tornado, carving a way that could rival the longest connected record, ripped done the mediate of the U.S. successful a stormfront that killed dozens and tore isolated a candle factory, crushed a nursing home, derailed a bid and smashed an Amazon warehouse. (Daniel Shular/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

OSHA, which investigates each workplace fatalities and catastrophes, “has six months to implicit its investigation, contented citations and suggest monetary penalties if violations of workplace information and oregon wellness regulations are found,” Allen added.

A spokesperson for Amazon said successful an email Monday that the institution is supporting OSHA’s effort.

Forty-five radical made it retired of the Amazon facility, with 1 idiosyncratic airlifted to a determination infirmary for treatment, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said during a Saturday evening quality conference.

The main said astir 150 yards of the gathering collapsed aft the tornado touched down astatine 8:35 p.m. CT connected Friday.

Edwardsville is astir 25 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri.