Federal and state officers stated on Monday that they might investigate the collapse of an Amazon delivery depot in Edwardsville, Ill., that was struck by a twister on Friday, killing six folks.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois stated at a news conference {that a} state investigation into whether or not the constructing was constructed in keeping with constructing codes was ongoing, whereas federal office security regulators stated that they had opened an investigation after the collapse.
Company officers have defended their security procedures.
At the information convention, an Amazon spokeswoman, Kelly Nantel, stated the firm believed that the constructing was constructed correctly, regardless of the catastrophic injury. “Obviously we want to go back and look at every aspect of this,” she stated.
Mr. Pritzker stated he was already talking with lawmakers about whether or not the state’s constructing codes must be up to date “based upon the climate change we are seeing all around us.” He added, “That is something we are deeply concerned about, to make sure code is where it ought to be.”
The federal investigation will be undertaken by the native workplace of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which has had compliance officers on the floor since Saturday, stated Scott Allen, a regional spokesman for the company. He stated the company had six months “to complete its investigation, issue citations and propose monetary penalties if violations of workplace safety and or health regulations are found.”
John Felton, an Amazon logistics government, stated at the information convention with the Illinois governor that “everything that we have seen, it was all procedures were followed correctly.” He stated the 46 folks in the supply depot at the time that the twister hit acted “heroically,” utilizing telephones, bullhorns and different instruments to maneuver as many individuals to security as doable.
Thirty-nine folks sheltered in an area on the north aspect of the constructing that was “nearly undamaged,” Mr. Felton stated, and seven folks congregated on the south aspect of the facility, which fell straight in the twister’s path.
The shelter areas weren’t separate rooms, however had been inside areas away from home windows and different hazards, Ms. Nantel stated.
Mr. Pritzker stated the danger of flooding in the industrial space the place the constructing sits prohibited the building of basement buildings that might have offered higher safety. He stated there was an “ongoing look” at the preliminary confusion over how many individuals had been at the constructing, which was staffed by many contractors who weren’t required to scan their badges after they entered the constructing at the finish of their shifts.
