At least six of Amazon's warehouse workers died in a tornado this month, and the company is rethinking its plan to ban workers from having phones at work.
The ban wouldn't come in until further notice, and some warehouse workers received messages that way, according to a report. Insider contacted Amazon for comment.
Insider has previously reported that warehouse workers at Amazon must put their personal items in lockers before they go to work.
In March 2020, Insider's Isobel Asher Hamilton reported that Amazon started allowing workers to access their phones on the warehouse floor in case of emergencies.
The ban was going to be renewed in January, but it was changed after the death of six Amazon workers in Illinois.
Construction crews work at the site of a roof collapse at an Amazon distribution center.
Lawrence Bryant.
Insider obtained a transcript of the emergency call from the scene, which shows that workers were told to shelter in the bathroom rather than the tornado shelter.
Amazon has been criticized for its handling of the incident, with reports stating that workers were denied permission to leave as the tornado approached.
The company has defended itself. Dave Clark wrote in an internal memo that fast action saved lives.
The firm followed federal tornado safety guidelines by getting employees to shelter inside the building, according to a previous statement.
