Revealed: Ambulances Were Called to Amazon Warehouses 600 Times in Three Years

Amazon have been at the pinnacle of start-up success. We were first introduced to Amazon books but now you can buy anything online from Amazon.  And they have extended and expanded and grown to the point that almost everyone in the world orders something from Amazon.  They plan for the future and these plans include home deliveries with driverless cars, and the use of drones.

Amazon are astonishing but they are not without controversy. They have huge offices, buildings and warehouses and it does come up, time and time again, about gruelling working conditions and targets that are almost unreachable.  Staff have to work at great speed to get those packages flying out of their warehouse doors and to never miss a deadline.

Now it has been revealed that ambulances have been called to the Amazon UK warehouses at least 600 times over the last three years.  The illnesses or medical emergencies range from breathing problems to chest pains, and now people are looking to see if it could be base of stressful conditions.  Of course there are many reasons while people fall ill in the workplace, but given Amazon’s reputation for long shifts and difficult conditions, one does wonder if there is a link between illness and these conditions.

Amazon do not shy away from controversy and criticism and always address the complaints received. Reports are being carried out and staff are being interviewed.  It could be that all the emergencies are totally normal in such a huge workplace.  Or it could be related to the many complaints that staff have, including the person who says ‘working for Amazon can be soul destroying.’

It’s not fair to talk about these things without Amazon responding and one never knows if Amazon genuinely treat their staff badly or not.  Still,  600 ambulances in 3 years.  That’s a lot of stress.