It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: it’s common practice at Amazon warehouses to prevent workers from calling 911 when someone is having a medical emergency.
In its place, Amazon insists that workers call an internal first-aid department, sometimes referred to by Orwellian names like “Amcare” or “Wellness.”
The Labor Force works directly with workers who tell us that this practice has cost people’s lives. It can take more than 20 minutes for Wellness to meet the injured or ill workers, and in a real emergency, those delays can cost lives.
Why would Amazon have this policy? It could be part of a cover-up to prevent accurate statistics about workplace injuries from being recorded. A Senate investigation found that Amazon warehouses are twice as dangerous as competitor warehouses.
From picking inventory to packing boxes to delivery times, Amazon emphasizes speed. But when it comes to taking care of workers, ‘Wellness’ takes its sweet time.
Tell Amazon: Let your workers call 911!
Sources:
https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-document-says-do-not-call-911-in-medical-emergency-2015-10
https://www.ems1.com/lawsuit/articles/lawsuit-amazon-delayed-calling-911-for-worker-who-had-fatal-heart-attack-vLs3bMSNjOTLw2e1/
https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/amazon_investigation.pdf