Amazon worker deaths in New Jersey under investigation
The deaths took place at Amazon facilities in Monroe Township, Robbinsville, and Carteret in New Jersey
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The death of an Amazon worker and an injury that potentially led to the death of another employee, is being investigated by federal work-safety officials.
This probe adds to one already underway following a third fatality during the company's annual Prime Day shopping event in mid-July.
All three Amazon workers died within the past month and were employed at company facilities in New Jersey.
The new Occupational Health and Safety Administration investigations are putting fresh scrutiny on the company's injury rates and workplace-safety procedures.
Amazon warehouse with packages and company logo (Getty Images / Getty Images)
Department of Labor spokesperson Denisha Braxton confirmed Thursday that the most recent fatality took place last week at an Amazon facility in Monroe Township. The second probe is looking into a July 24 accident at an Amazon facility in Robbinsville. The worker involved in that accident died three days later, according to Braxton.
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In a statement, Robbinsville Police Chief Michael Polaski said police responded to the warehouse, called PNE5, on July 24 after receiving a report that a worker fell from a three-foot ladder and struck his head.
Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City. (REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
Police in Monroe Township didn’t immediately reply for a request for comment on the incident there.
The two most recent deaths were first reported by the USA Today Network.
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The agency has up to six months to complete each probe.
Packages riding on a belt are scanned to be loaded onto delivery trucks at the Amazon Fulfillment center in Robbinsville Township, N.J. ( (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) / AP Newsroom)
Sam Stephenson, a spokesperson for Seattle-based Amazon, said in a statement the company was "deeply saddened by the passing of our colleagues and offer our condolences to their family and friends."
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 202.61 | -8.87 | -4.19% |
"Our investigations are ongoing and we’re cooperating with OSHA, which is conducting its own reviews of the events, as it often does in these situations," Stephenson said.
Last month, OSHA launched another investigation into a worker fatality at an Amazon warehouse in the New Jersey town of Carteret.
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A spokesperson for Amazon said the company’s internal investigation into the Carteret death shows it "was not a work-related incident, and instead was related to a personal medical condition."
Reuters contributed to this report.
