A robot set off a can of bear spray at an Amazon facility in Robbinsville, New Jersey on Wednesday. (Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images)
Dec 05, 2018
At least one person was in critical condition and 24 were hospitalized after a robot accidentally punctured a 9oz. aerosol can of bear repellent at an Amazon warehouse in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey on Wednesday, causing dozens of employees to experience trouble breathing.
"This is another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this."
--Stuart Appelbaum, union leader
All told, 54 Amazon employees received medical attention because of the incident, according to multiple reports, which follow global strikes and demands from workers, advocates, and even lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the company--which is run by the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos--to improve workplace conditions, including warehouse safety.
"Amazon's automated robots put humans in life-threatening danger," declared Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
"This is another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this," he added, emphasizing that as one of the world's biggest companies, Amazon "cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hard working people's lives at risk."
The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a worker advocacy group, called for reforms to ensure employee safety.
"The company keeps saying that safety of workers is their 'top priority," Marcy Goldstein Gelb, the group's co-executive director, told the Asbury Park Press. "The tens of millions of consumers who will spend money at Amazon this holiday season have a right to ask: 'If that's true, why do people keep getting hurt, injured and killed at Amazon facilities?'"
Rachael Lighty, a spokeswoman for Amazon, claimed in a statement to the Washington Post that "the safety of our employees is our top priority." Another statement to NJ.com said that "all of the impacted employees have been or are expected to be released from hospital within the next 24 hours," including the person initially listed as in critical condition.
Robbinsville spokesman John Nalbone explained to the Post that the can of bear spray released in the facility contained capsaicin, derived from the chile pepper plant capsicum. Such derivatives, according to the National Park Service (pdf), "are an extreme irritant of the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs of bears, humans, and other mammals."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
At least one person was in critical condition and 24 were hospitalized after a robot accidentally punctured a 9oz. aerosol can of bear repellent at an Amazon warehouse in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey on Wednesday, causing dozens of employees to experience trouble breathing.
"This is another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this."
--Stuart Appelbaum, union leader
All told, 54 Amazon employees received medical attention because of the incident, according to multiple reports, which follow global strikes and demands from workers, advocates, and even lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the company--which is run by the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos--to improve workplace conditions, including warehouse safety.
"Amazon's automated robots put humans in life-threatening danger," declared Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
"This is another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this," he added, emphasizing that as one of the world's biggest companies, Amazon "cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hard working people's lives at risk."
The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a worker advocacy group, called for reforms to ensure employee safety.
"The company keeps saying that safety of workers is their 'top priority," Marcy Goldstein Gelb, the group's co-executive director, told the Asbury Park Press. "The tens of millions of consumers who will spend money at Amazon this holiday season have a right to ask: 'If that's true, why do people keep getting hurt, injured and killed at Amazon facilities?'"
Rachael Lighty, a spokeswoman for Amazon, claimed in a statement to the Washington Post that "the safety of our employees is our top priority." Another statement to NJ.com said that "all of the impacted employees have been or are expected to be released from hospital within the next 24 hours," including the person initially listed as in critical condition.
Robbinsville spokesman John Nalbone explained to the Post that the can of bear spray released in the facility contained capsaicin, derived from the chile pepper plant capsicum. Such derivatives, according to the National Park Service (pdf), "are an extreme irritant of the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs of bears, humans, and other mammals."
At least one person was in critical condition and 24 were hospitalized after a robot accidentally punctured a 9oz. aerosol can of bear repellent at an Amazon warehouse in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey on Wednesday, causing dozens of employees to experience trouble breathing.
"This is another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this."
--Stuart Appelbaum, union leader
All told, 54 Amazon employees received medical attention because of the incident, according to multiple reports, which follow global strikes and demands from workers, advocates, and even lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the company--which is run by the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos--to improve workplace conditions, including warehouse safety.
"Amazon's automated robots put humans in life-threatening danger," declared Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
"This is another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this," he added, emphasizing that as one of the world's biggest companies, Amazon "cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hard working people's lives at risk."
The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a worker advocacy group, called for reforms to ensure employee safety.
"The company keeps saying that safety of workers is their 'top priority," Marcy Goldstein Gelb, the group's co-executive director, told the Asbury Park Press. "The tens of millions of consumers who will spend money at Amazon this holiday season have a right to ask: 'If that's true, why do people keep getting hurt, injured and killed at Amazon facilities?'"
Rachael Lighty, a spokeswoman for Amazon, claimed in a statement to the Washington Post that "the safety of our employees is our top priority." Another statement to NJ.com said that "all of the impacted employees have been or are expected to be released from hospital within the next 24 hours," including the person initially listed as in critical condition.
Robbinsville spokesman John Nalbone explained to the Post that the can of bear spray released in the facility contained capsaicin, derived from the chile pepper plant capsicum. Such derivatives, according to the National Park Service (pdf), "are an extreme irritant of the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs of bears, humans, and other mammals."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.