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Amazon employee in Ontario collapses, dies after fire alarm sent staff into cold

47 points| djkivi | 2 years ago |globalnews.ca | reply

52 comments

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[+] ncr100|2 years ago|reply
Heart attack, indoors, after waiting outside in -22F for ~20 minutes, and less than 45 minutes after returning inside.

Claims of insufficient "warming packs" for employees. Claims management prevented employees from warming in their automobiles.

GoFund me https://www.gofundme.com/f/paulo-bezerra $17k so far. 50 year old man, with baby & spouse.

[+] DANmode|2 years ago|reply
> Claims management prevented employees from warming in their automobiles.

100 years and some stuff hasn't changed a bit.

[+] gumby|2 years ago|reply
Loathe as I am to be in any way sympathetic to Amazon, I have to ask: what's the right thing that should have happened?

It's pretty standard that in a fire you leave the building and assemble in some safe location. The only fire drills I've done have been in school, in clement weather, and we assembled in the parking lot away enough from the buildings that the fire wouldn't affect us, we wouldn't be in the way of firefighters and away from the road.

But when it's cold: what provisions should be made to ensure the assembly point is a "safe location"? It's reasonable to assume people will evacuate without jackets or anything.

I don't know the answer, but perhaps someone who's been in a fire drill in a cold climate can explain.

[+] impossiblefork|2 years ago|reply
What would have happened here in Sweden is that if people weren't dressed for the cold they'd probably get shelter somehow-- maybe go home, enter a restaurant or other building.

-30 C is really incredibly cold. You just can't stand around in that without proper clothes.

I think the problem is that a lot of Americans are incredibly servile and will obey employers, authorities etc., even when it's harmful or dangerous. I especially remember a case where a woman was in court and was sexually assaulted by a marshal, right there with the judge ignoring it. But what I found very curious was how he was obeyed, and how the judge was obeyed.

Here in Sweden, neither judge nor marshal would have been obeyed.

I think the servility is probably caused by the experience that employers and authorities can get away with anything, and a fear that they will do worse if challenged or attacked.

[+] pests|2 years ago|reply
Just like we have requirements for fire extinguishers and fire ladders / suppression systems, there should be requirements on providing protection from the elements in situations like these as well.

Outside heaters, emergency blankets and ponchos, chemical warming packs, etc.

This is a workplace. We already take precautions against fire and chemicals and whatnot, this isn't asking for much more.

[+] KennyBlanken|2 years ago|reply
Their cars.

Which they were told not to enter, probably with the threat of being fired.

Because Amazon fears that someone will pocket some inventory during the fire alarm, and then stash it in their car.

So for the risk of the world's richest man losing maybe a grand or two in stolen inventory - someone died.

[+] diebeforei485|2 years ago|reply
People should have been told to go to their cars to stay warm.
[+] KennyBlanken|2 years ago|reply
It's not that they're not told - they're prohibited from doing so for "theft prevention"