Amazon employees at a New Jersey warehouse returned to a workplace with new fans and a massively upgraded air conditioning system—even though an employee death on Prime Day during a July heat wave was blamed by the company on a “personal medical condition,” according to NBC News. Workers at the Carteret warehouse photographed the massive new air ducts, more than twice the height of the nearby vending machines. They also said that more water and snackers were being handed out after Rafael Reynaldo Mota Frias, 42, died. “Amazon is an agency that reacts to situations. They’re not proactive,” one employee said. “They wait till something happens and then they act like they’re doing something.” An Amazon spokesperson said that “climate control systems constantly measure the temperature in our buildings, and our safety teams are empowered to take action to address any temperature-related issues.” Amazon has faced growing criticism from employees and activists who say that the warehouse working conditions are inhumane. In early August, OSHA inspectors added the Carteret facility to its probe investigating reported safety hazards at the company. Nearly 40,000 injuries occurred at the company in 2021, according to an April report by the Strategic Organizing Center, which also noted the company accounted for just shy of half of all industry injuries, despite employing 33 percent of the U.S.’ warehouse workers.
