Amazon warehouse worker died on the job at Oregon facility

An Amazon employee at the Troutdale, Oregon, warehouse died at work last week, a company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch.

According to a report by the western edgean independent investigative outlet covering the Pacific Northwest, the worker collapsed to the floor of the PDX9 warehouse and was left dead while employees continued working around him.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of a member of our team, and our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his loved ones during this difficult time,” Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told TechCrunch. “We have been in contact with his family and have provided resources to support them. For employees at our PDX9 facilities, we have provided on-site grief counselors and additional support. We are grateful for the work of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department and local emergency medical services.”

in a reddit forum For Amazon fulfillment center workers, several people who claimed to work at PDX9 said the building had been especially hot after soundproof curtains were installed, which limited airflow. They speculated that the heat could have contributed to the employee’s death, as it would aggravate the physical demands of the job at the fulfillment center. According to Western Edge, some employees noticed the building was cooler when they returned to work the next day.

Amazon, however, said the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) determined the incident was not work-related. Employees were sent home early and paid for the remainder of their shift; the night shift was canceled and employees scheduled to work also received pay, according to the company.

The PDX9 warehouse is reputed to have hard working conditions; In 2018, an investigation by Revealan investigative journalism outlet, found that 26% of warehouse employees had suffered injuries. a report According to 2024 OSHA data, company fulfillment centers report serious injuries at a rate twice the warehouse industry average.

Amazon fulfillment centers have been the subject of several investigations by federal agencies and prosecutors into warehouse security, with investigators alleging that the company manipulated data and could not adequately document work injuries. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is conducting an investigation ongoing investigation on workplace safety in Amazon warehouses.

Amazon told TechCrunch that the company has seen a 43% reduction in its global recordable incident rate since 2019, a metric that tracks any work-related injury that requires more than basic first aid. The company said it has invested more than $2.5 billion in security improvements since 2019, including hundreds of millions of dollars in 2026 alone.