Amazon warehouse workers keep on working as a colleague died after collapsing on the floor of an Amazon facility in Oregon earlier this month — with a manager telling one employee to look away instead of help, according to a shocking report.
After the unnamed 46-year-old worker fell at the huge Troutdale, Ore., warehouse, a manager allegedly told an employee who wanted to help provide CPR to “just turn around and not look. Let’s get back to work,” the Western Edge news site reported Monday.
Employees reportedly saw the man collapse as loading docks hummed with activity on April 6. A 911 call the Western Edge obtained through a records request revealed an Amazon worker telling dispatchers the man who had fallen was “probably dead,” adding that he had “extensive blood” coming from his head and appeared “very blue.”
Within moments of the collapse, a woman rushed over and began performing chest compressions, crying and screaming for help as she pushed into the man’s chest, a worker who witnessed the scene told the Western Edge.
An employee identified as Sam said they asked their supervisor if they could assist the woman doing CPR, but received a stunning rebuff.
“I start sobbing and said, ‘I want to help, please!’ I know she’s going to get tired and need to be subbed out,” the employee recounted.
The supervisor responded, “It has to be management or safety team. Please get back to work,” according to Sam, who said the manager appeared to be in shock.
“I need to help,” Sam insisted — but said he was told to “just turn around and not look. Let’s get back to work.”
Sam said as they stood in disbelief, the manager nudged Sam and said in tears, “please,” encouraging the worker to continue sorting packages.
After paramedics arrived, the area where the man had collapsed was closed off, according to the Western Edge.
Supervisors acted callously and seemed more interested in keeping the warehouse running than helping the dying employee, workers told the outlet.
“I was uncontrollably shaking,” one was quoted as saying. “It wasn’t until second break came that we were finally allowed to stop work and go to the break room. That ain’t right.”
According to multiple employees, the man who died was working as a tote runner — a physically demanding role that involves gathering stacks of plastic bins, loading them onto carts and hauling them across long warehouse corridors to supply other workers, sometimes pushing loads as tall as a person.
Workers said the job can require constant movement and heavy lifting throughout a shift.
Amazon told Western Edge that the employee died from a “pre-existing medical condition.”
“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of a member of our team, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with their loved ones during this difficult time. We’ve been in touch with his family and have provided resources to support them,” a spokesperson was quoted as saying.
“For employees at our PDX9 facility, we’ve provided onsite grief counselors and additional support.”
Warehouse management told workers to go home after their 3:45 p.m. break was over, according to the Western Edge. Amazon acknowledge that work continued in the facility for a while after the 911 calls were placed, the outlet noted.
“Our team focused on ensuring our employee received the care he needed, protecting his privacy, and ensuring the safety of everyone onsite instead of distracting from those efforts by focusing on immediately evacuating other areas of the building in those early moments,” a company spokesperson told Western Edge.
The Post has sought comment from Amazon.
The death has left workers shaken and angry, with several telling Western Edge they were disturbed by how the situation was handled and worried about their own safety.
Sam and other employees flooded the company’s internal “My Voice” app with complaints, according to the outlet.
“I was uncontrollably shaking,” one worker wrote in messages reviewed by the Western Edge. “It wasn’t until second break came that we were finally allowed to stop work and go to the break room. That ain’t right.”
“Amazon was given a 16 billion dollar tax cut to invest in AI and robotics so they can cut 600,000 jobs,” another employee wrote, echoing recent criticism from far-left Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. “Do you think Amazon cares about safety?”
“I’ve struggled to sleep,” one employee said. “I have a lot of anxiety over walking back into that building.”
Others said the response from management eroded what little trust they had left, with one worker saying it made them feel “more ashamed to work there knowing that people can drop dead and we have to carry on” and that “everyone is replaceable.”
Reddit users purporting to be workers at the facility described a mix of grief, anger and resignation, with some saying the incident reflected a broader culture inside Amazon warehouses.
“No one should die for this job,” one user wrote.
Others pointed to what they saw as a pattern across facilities.
“Yup. and the person who died is replaced in 20 minutes,” one commenter wrote. “Amazon Managers do not give 2 s–ts about you.”
Several workers tied the recent death to allegedly harsh conditions inside the Troutdale facility, describing extreme heat and physically punishing roles.
“This heat is no joke… it was soooo hot and stuffy in the building today,” one wrote last week, while another said tote running involves “15+ miles of walking” and is “the most physically demanding job at the site.”
Others took a sanguine tone.
“I’m surprised it took this long for someone to die in the building,” one user wrote.
“This building is the worse I’ve worked [at]. It’s so unsafe,” another claimed.
Some commenters urged workers to take action, calling on colleagues to report conditions to regulators.
“You should report this to OSHA. Don’t wait,” one post read, referring to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
