This summer, high temperatures have been a cause for labor concern in dozens of countries. Especially for those who work in closed and poorly ventilated places or for delivery people who have to move in the sun. In Xataka we have talked about the current regulations in these situations of extreme weather. In fact, hundreds of workers at an Amazon hub in California, USA, staged a strike last week after the death of a worker during a heat wave.
Now a report suggests that Amazon faked temperatures at another warehouse to keep from closing. Despite the record temperatures, the thermometers did not rise above 25ºC in its warehouses. But the employees brought their own and showed that they were 32-35º C.
caught. The workers of this center felt that the temperatures that the company showed on a monitor next to the entrance of the facilities did not reflect the heat that they experienced every day. And of course, they didn’t wait for Amazon to decide to take their health seriously, so they documented them on their own. They distributed hand-held thermometers to workers to covertly measure workplace temperatures, then compared the results to Amazon’s “official” ones.
Temperatures the tech giant was showing on its monitor hovered around 21 and peaked in the 25s. According to the workers’ report, in the cargo area, where dozens of workers load and unload cargo from planes, temperatures were between 24 and 32. But the interiors reached 36 for several days. And one of them up to 49 degrees.
Why? First, so as not to stop production. And second, because when temperatures in outdoor work areas exceed 80 degrees, the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health requires employers to provide access to shade, training, and water, and ensure the right to preventative breaks for refresh. In very hot conditions, when it is 35 degrees or higher, managers should remind workers of safe practices and observe them for signs or symptoms of heat illness. Something they didn’t do.
Amazon’s response. It has been expected. Spokeswoman Mary Kate McCarthy Paradis called the report’s findings “misleading and inaccurate.” And she explained that the KSBD building has a team of security professionals who monitor the temperature and take action when necessary. In fact, the workers’ document notes that after complaining to the boss, Amazon took immediate action to address some concerns, such as cold water supply, coolers and electrolyte packs. He also encouraged more cooling breaks and put more fans in some indoor areas.
The tendency. The phenomenon responds to a growing labor movement in Amazon that translates into more unionization and more protests. It is Well known that Amazon’s performance targets are, from a business standpoint, commendable. But for years, many workers have described poor conditions and exploitation suffering in their workplace, from peeing in water bottles because they lived in fear of being reprimanded for their ‘downtime’ to packing rates of some 2,000 units per day, or four items per minute.
In addition, as we have told Magnet in other articles, the company registers more injuries than others in the same sector. Last year, a washington post investigation found that Amazon warehouse workers suffer almost twice as much as other companies.
In Spain. Also in Xataka we have spoken at length about the obligations to which companies in Spain are subject. The occupational risk prevention regulations establish that “in outdoor workplaces, or in those that cannot be closed due to the activity carried out, measures must be taken so that workers can protect themselves from inclement weather.” The fixed regulations that the conditions must be in closed spaces with a temperature between 17 and 27º for sedentary work and between 14 and 25º for light work.
In addition, the company must supply water or sun cream to its workers without them having to buy it. If all this is violated, the employee has the right to stop his activity and leave the job if he considers that the activity has a risk to his health. And, among the guaranteed rights, is that of keeping the salary.
Image: GTRES