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10 injured after false fire alarm at Amazon facility on Staten Island
By
Verónica Del Valle
Published Nov 11, 2022
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Peter Foley/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
By
Verónica Del Valle
Published Nov 11, 2022
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Thousands of workers at an Amazon distribution center in Staten Island evacuated the building Friday morning after an employee triggered a false fire alarm.
FDNY officials received a call from the distribution center known as JFK8 before 7 a.m. According to the company, an Amazon employee pulled an alarm in the distribution center. That employee then began spraying fire extinguishers inside and onto other employees.
"A disgruntled worker who was also partially unclothed attacked several workers with a fire extinguisher inside of JFK8," wrote Amazon Labor Union Executive Secretary Michelle Valentin Nieves on Twitter this morning. "They were sprayed in the face and had to be taken to the hospital via ambulance as the fumes went into their [eyes, nose and mouth]."
Fire department officials said 10 people sustained injuries during the incident. The majority refused medical care, but ambulances transported two people to the Richmond University Medical Center.
Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly said in a statement that the company is "thankful that no one was seriously injured during today's incident and for the quick work of emergency responders."
But Amazon Labor Union leaders expressed frustration on Twitter over how management handled the situation. Valentin said on social media that the false alarm represented "another emergency situation mishandled by management putting workers under stress and in danger."
Amazon claims all night shift employees present at the time were sent home and will receive full pay. Kelly said they'd canceled the day shift to clean up the building. They added that Amazon would compensate employees despite the canceled shift.
The Amazon Labor Union did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In October, a small fire broke out in a cardboard compactor at the same distribution center. Amazon suspended a group of employees after that incident when they refused to resume working after the fire department said the building was safe.
An Amazon Labor Union attorney told the Washington Post some employees "didn't feel safe going back to work" after that fire.
Tagged
public safety
amazon
staten island
labor
Verónica Del Valle
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