Amazon Delays Warehouse Ban on Workers’ Phones ‘Until Further Notice’

E-commerce giant Amazon is reportedly delaying plans to ban cell phones in its warehouses following complaints from workers after six employees were killed at an Illinois facility struck by a tornado last week.

Bloomberg reports that Amazon is delaying its plans to ban workers from using smartphones throughout its warehouses after a tornado hit one of its facilities in Edwardsville, Illinois, killing six employees. The deaths at the Illinois facility led to many employees demanding to have access to real-time information during emergencies rather than waiting for managers or Amazon staff to warn them of danger.

Amazon workers received messages from the company last Friday stating that mobile phones will be allowed on warehouse floors “until further notice.” Amazon previously prohibited the use of cell phones on warehouse floors for what it claimed were safety reasons, requiring workers to leave them in their vehicles or in lockers. During the pandemic, this rule was relaxed but the company planned to resume enforcing the policy in January.

The collapse of the facility in Edwardsville, Illinois, further bolstered concerns among its workforce about the return to phone ban in work areas. Many workers claimed that they want access to information such as updates on potentially deadly weather events via their smartphones.

The employees also claimed that access to cell phones would allow them to communicate with emergency responders or loved ones in the case of an accident. Amazon has stated that it is investigating the collapse in Illinois and looking for ways to improve safety procedures for its warehouse workers.

Read more at Bloomberg here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com