Giant e-retailer Amazon Inc. (AMZN) has been sued for encouraging spread of deadly coronavirus disease by subjecting employees under unsafe working conditions after one of the company’s employees was infected at work then took the virus home and infected a relative who later passed away.
The warehouse worker in New York, Barbara Chandler, contracted the virus while at work then she took the disease home infecting her cousin who later passed on due to the virus.
The case was filed by family members of the deceased and three workers of the JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island on June 3 in the federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
In the lawsuit, Chandler claims she tested positive on March 19, thereafter her several close family members tested positive including them her cousin passing away on April 7.
The complainant is accusing Amazon of turning JFK8 which has around 5,000 workers into a place of danger by failing to take necessary precautions aimed at curbing spread of the deadly virus but rather putting human life at stake by prioritizing production over human safety.
“Amazon forces workers to work at dizzying speeds even if doing so prevents them from socially distancing, washing their hands, and sanitizing their work spaces,” read part of the lawsuit.
Employees, unions and leaders have been criticizing Amazon on how it has been treating its workers during the pandemic, some Amazon employees have been fired for publicly criticizing how the company was handling the situation.
The company announced it would be spending $800 million on coronavirus safety measures in the first half of the year including regular temperature checks, cleaning equipment, hand sanitizers and face masks.
So far around 800 employees from Amazon have tested positive for the virus, Amazon says it has always abided by guidance from health authorities at its workplaces since the pandemic set foot.
