No job is worth more than your life. Four disgruntled Amazon warehouse employees are taking this message to heart following last December’s tornado in Illinois. The storm destroyed a portion of the warehouse’s roof and they became trapped inside. As a result, four amazon drivers are now suing the company. The heart of the drivers’ complaint comes from the fact they were threatened with termination if they went home during the storm. If their allegations are true, this means the company’s management took the lives of four innocent workers into their hands. Instead of being allowed to leave, Amazon told the drivers to seek shelter in the warehouse restrooms. Fortunately, they survived, but several others were not so fortunate. The partner of another employee who was killed during the storm said he texted her that Amazon wouldn’t let him leave until the storm passed. Regardless of which side of the matter you might fall upon, we can all agree that an onsite commercial storm shelter could’ve saved those lives.
The December Tornado Sends a Harrowing Message
Employees of large warehouses and factories are at a distinct disadvantage when storms pass through. These facilities are typically stocked with large pieces of equipment and tall stacks of inventory. If a tornado strikes such buildings, these materials can topple and kill unprotected workers. Scared stampeding employees can also injure their coworkers in their frantic attempts to escape. The sheer size of these buildings alone is not enough to protect employees. Unlike traditional brick and mortar structures, warehouses don’t receive the same type of structural reinforcement. Gusty winds can peel back these metal roofs like a sardine can, exposing vulnerable employees.
Commercial Tornado Shelters Can Be Easily Installed Into Any Warehouse
Space should never come at a premium with a warehouse. Warehouses are large cavernous structures that were designed to contain large volumes of open space for storage and inventory. With such extra headway, supervisors and owners shouldn’t have any issue allocating extra room for a commercial storm shelter. U.S. Safe Room’s shelters and safe rooms can be easily installed into any existing footprint with minimal disturbance to staff and equipment. Installing safe room or an on-site tornado shelter has several residual effects. Knowing their employees value their lives will be an immediate boost in morale to a worried workforce. This will go a long way in terms of employee retention and turnover, which will also save your company thousands in training costs.
Tornado Safe Community Shelter
- EF-5 250 MPH Wind Tested and Approved Design
- Encased in solid steel with industrial steel structural framing for maximum protection
- Customizable for any of your needs and number of persons you plan to protect
- Risk management for schools, towns, businesses, and remote construction sites
- Versatile uses include warm-up and cool down rooms with Power and Climate Control
- Easy Accessibility to safe Tornado and severe weather for large groups
- Restroom options with Chemical Toilet or Plumbing for Emergency Planning
- Turn-key installation available