Robot Puts 24 Amazon Workers In Hospital
Over the last year, you may have heard more than a few stories about the ‘horror conditions’ that exist within the Amazon warehouses. High-pressured, massive workload and all under the cosh of some of the strictest timekeeping practices out there. What you, however, perhaps would not expect is to be attacked by a robot!
In a report via Yahoo, that is, however, exactly what has happened! Don’t panic though, the robots have not started their revolution. Or have they?…
What Happened?
It has been reported that the incident occurred at an Amazon warehouse in New Jersey. During the shift, a robot accidentally hit a container which just happened to carry bear repellant. Well, that’s what the article says, but let’s think about this. Considering that the formula was effectively a concentrated form of pepper spray it’s not hard to really say what this was!
It was bear mace! Yes, mace created to stop bears from attacking you! Big bears! Not people!
The spray quickly dissipated into the local (and relatively confined) area and led to reportedly around 30 employees being affected with 24 requiring a visit to the hospital. While it might, on the whole, be a bit weird, it has clearly raised safety concerns.
Amazon Speaks!
Following the incident, Amazon has said: “Today at our Robbinsville fulfilment centre, a damaged aerosol can dispensed strong fumes in a contained area of the facility. The safety of our employees is our top priority, and as such, all employees in that area have been relocated to safe place and employees experiencing symptoms are being treated onsite. As a precaution, some employees have been transported to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment. All of the impacted employees have been or are expected to be released from hospital within the next 24 hours.”
Well, for all the complaints that Amazon workers do have, I daresay being attacked by a robot wasn’t high on the list. Let alone bear mace! The next union meeting with certainly be interesting!
What do you think? As amusing as this is, does it highlight a clear safety concern? In addition, do you have any experience with bear mace? What about a robot attack? – Let us know in the comments!
