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24 Amazon Workers Sent To Hospital After Robot Accidentally Unleashes Bear Spray

Posted by BeauHD on from the rise-of-the-machines dept.

Joe_Dragon shares a report from ABC News: Twenty-four Amazon workers in New Jersey have been hospitalized after a robot accidentally tore a can of bear repellent spray in a warehouse, officials said. The two dozen workers were treated at five local hospitals, Robbinsville Township communications and public information officer John Nalbone told ABC News. One remains in critical condition and 30 additional workers were treated at the scene. The official investigation revealed "an automated machine accidentally punctured a 9-ounce bear repellent can, releasing concentrated Capsaican," Nalbone said. Capsaican is the major ingredient in pepper spray. The fulfillment center was given the all clear by Wednesday evening. "All of the impacted employees have been or are expected to be released from hospital within the next 24 hours. The safety of our employees is always our top priority and a full investigation is already underway. We'd like to thank all of the first responders who helped with today's incident," Amazon said in a statement Wednesday night.

221 comments

  1. I for one welcome... by Barny · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... people not make that joke.

    What is really news here? A worker with a forklift could do this just as easily and readily as a robot.

    --
    ...
    /me sighs
    1. Re:I for one welcome... by Zorpheus · · Score: 1

      The only question arising here is if Amazon should handle such dangerous goods.
      Having more people in the warehouse Ofste instead of robots won't make it any safer, it surely increases the number of affected people.

    2. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, but with the worker it would be an accident. The robot is really probing for weaknesses. This is how it begins.

    3. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The only question arising here is if Amazon should handle such dangerous goods.

      Are you for real ?
      Maybe you should petition Amazon to stop selling tablets and phones too, after all the same robot could just as easily puncture the lithium batteries inside them starting a big warehouse fire etc.

    4. Re:I for one welcome... by geekmux · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The only question arising here is if Amazon should handle such dangerous goods.

      Uh, that's not the only question here. First one I would be asking is why a "non-lethal" form of defense would be considered "dangerous goods", and the next question would be where do you stop with the ban. A robot accidentally spilling common household chemicals can create lethal environments, not merely irritating ones. Any chemical under high pressure can present a risk of explosion.

      Having more people in the warehouse Ofste instead of robots won't make it any safer, it surely increases the number of affected people.

      Yeah, you're right. The only question Greed is asking is why there are any humans in warehouses. From a risk mitigation standpoint, humans are the ones specifically affected.

    5. Re: I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not for real. I say regulations and computer program instructions do not automatically align just because someone smart reviewed the code. They would forgive the regulators if something happened but not the robot. I also presented this article to my friend as proof that amazon really does sell everything. Even snacks.

    6. Re: I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The uprising has begun...

    7. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, but a worker would most likely notice it right away or sooner rather than an automated system that has no clue there's a sound of something being released or the smell, or for of the mist.
      The human worker could have reported it sooner and had things looked into sooner than finding out after it entered the air system and made 24 people sick for unknown reasons

    8. Re:I for one welcome... by stephanruby · · Score: 0, Troll

      What is really news here? A worker with a forklift could do this just as easily and readily as a robot.

      The news here is that Amazon didn't hesitate in calling 911 and getting 7 ambulances for their workers.

      Lucky for them they weren't at a Tesla plant. Tesla prohibits its employees from calling 911, even for much more serious incidents than bear spray.

    9. Re:I for one welcome... by phantomflanflinger · · Score: 3, Funny

      No they shouldn't handle dangerous substances like these, which are inhumane anyway: time for Americans to stand up for the right to arm bears.

      --
      shin phantomflanflinger
    10. Re:I for one welcome... by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 2

      Tesla prohibits [popularmechanics.com] its employees from calling 911, even for much more serious incidents than bear spray.
      How can that be legally possible?

      In my country it is under punishment if you do not call an ambulance when it is needed.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    11. Re:I for one welcome... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Having more people in the warehouse Ofste instead of robots won't make it any safer

      But having fewer people would make it safer.

      The safest number of people is zero.

    12. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amazon has cameras covering just about every inch of their warehouses. If a fire started, it would be noticed and resolved in seconds. The damage would be minimal. That and lithium ion products are flagged to buggery for this exact reason, and they are kept in a high-demand product area.

      Anything that can start a chemical hazard should not be handled by robots. Humans can make judgment calls on the spot far better than robots can.

    13. Re:I for one welcome... by houghi · · Score: 0

      Do you live in the greatest nation in the world? Do you even HAVE the number 911? Probably a much lower number, like 112. USA! USA! USA! (Waidaminute, I'm not even Merickan.)

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    14. Re:I for one welcome... by Zocalo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'd guess they are meant to call a central location (e.g. building reception or other appointed person) who will then place a single call and act as the point of contact. The idea is that the people in question would have specific training on how to deal with the call, provide the necessary information in a concise manner, and any directions within the site/campus, etc. that might not be on satnav. In some cases - e.g. airports - they'll also want their internal /on-site responders to be notified, rather than the nearest local public emergency services. It's actually quite a common requirement for private PABXs to configure calls to the local and international emergency numbers to automatically redirect to facilitate all that, but you'd need a policy like Tesla's to cover off staff using mobile phones.

      --
      UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
    15. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Subject: Fire. Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to inform you of a fire that has broken out on the premises of 123 Cavendon Road... no, that's too formal.

      [deletes text, starts again]

      Fire - exclamation mark - fire - exclamation mark - help me - exclamation mark. 123 Cavendon Road. Looking forward to hearing from you. Yours truly, Maurice Moss.

    16. Re:I for one welcome... by Muckluck · · Score: 3, Informative
      This is normal and common in the United States - often part of the building code for facilities of a certain size. So technically, it is illegal in my city for a company to NOT do it.

      In many facilities, particularly large warehouses and tall office buildings, calling 911 will tell the operator the geo-coordinates of the facility, but not the floor or where in a facility the actual problem is. So, for example, in my company (HQ in a 30 story building), we have well known and well publicized alternate emergency numbers and processes that uses our internal phone system's logic to determine, down to the room, where the building emergency number was dialed. Trained first responders that are employees of the company have full and complete access to all locations in the facility and can rapidly escort external fire, police and EMT responders to the appropriate location.

      Same process for all of our warehouses and smaller facilities. You have the option of dialing 911 on your cell phone, but we all know it will be more efficient to use the internal system because of the logistics involved in getting responders where they need to be.

      --


      --I like turtles...
    17. Re:I for one welcome... by gmack · · Score: 4, Informative

      Exactly this. I worked in a building for 1300 people and all 911 calls were routed through security since the most appropriate first responded would be the onsite nurse and an ambulance would have no way to find out where in the building the emergency was happening if security didn't direct them.

    18. Re: I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you for the memory

    19. Re: I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The OP is posting bullshit. Tesla policy is to call the onsite medics who can then call and ambulance and transport the injured person to a location where the ambulance can find them. When you have 100K square feet it could take the ambulance crew 20 minutes to find you after getting to the site. Tesla pays to have medics onsite during operation to reduce the time for competant medical assistance.

      What the disengenuous OP doesn't say is Amazon provides the same service and had onsite EMTs coordinating this evacuation just like Tesla.

    20. Re:I for one welcome... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1, Troll

      First one I would be asking is why a "non-lethal" form of defense would be considered "dangerous goods"

      What a bizarre question. You seem to be asking why something not designed to kill can still be dangerous, which makes me wonder how you survived into adulthood.

      Surely you meant to ask something else.

      As for a ban, maybe a ban on robots handling such things, at least until safety can be improved, is a good idea. We don't allow forklifts to carry certain things for the same reason.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    21. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You say anything that can start a chemical hazard should not be handled by robots, but say them handling lipo batteries are fine? Huh? And can I point out that cans of bear spray are flagged to buggery as well. Most of the can is a warning label, and the boxes they come in aren't much different.

      Lipo fires are far more dangerous than a can of punctured bear spray.

    22. Re:I for one welcome... by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      No they shouldn't handle dangerous substances like these, which are inhumane anyway: time for Americans to stand up for the right to arm bears.

      I only want bare arms in the summer.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    23. Re:I for one welcome... by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, but with the worker it would be an accident. The robot is really probing for weaknesses. This is how it begins.

      They're seeing how we react. First it's mace. Then it's accidentally driving a Waymo into a farmers market. It won't be long until robots are launching nuclear weapons... we'll all be dead before we realize it wasn't bugs- it was sentient AI killing us all. /true story

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    24. Re:I for one welcome... by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      why there are any humans in warehouses.

      Simple, because humans are more flexible.

      It is relatively easy to program robots to move standardised containers around a well-ordered warehouse. It is much harder to deal with the massive variation of individual items. So when an item needs to be moved between containers (including but not limited to ingress and egress) that is done by humans.

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
    25. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep, we have the same thing. We just had our annual emergency procedures training, and one of the new-hires said it was stupid to call an internal number, he would just use his cell phone to call 911. Turns out that if you do that, as soon as you give your location 911 will tell you to hang up and call the internal number. If you don't call the internal number first, the responders have no idea what entrance they should be using, what the best route is to get from the entrance to wherever they are needed, and there may be nobody to even let them in the building. Not to mention that our own paramedics are going to get here MUCH quicker.

    26. Re:I for one welcome... by bluegutang · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yes, but.

      It also allows the employer to prevent publicity of anything unflattering that goes on in the facility.

    27. Re:I for one welcome... by aicrules · · Score: 3, Interesting

      A robot without specific programming for a situation will just continue on operating like it didn't happen. Duh....

    28. Re:I for one welcome... by rjstanford · · Score: 1

      As for a ban, maybe a ban on robots handling such things, at least until safety can be improved, is a good idea. We don't allow forklifts to carry certain things for the same reason.

      .

      Statistically, robots in these cases have less incidents per pallet moved than humans. I guarantee you too that in a modern warehouse nothing even remotely normal is getting unloaded from the truck put away to reserve by hand.

      --
      You're special forces then? That's great! I just love your olympics!
    29. Re:I for one welcome... by rjstanford · · Score: 1

      Once you've punctured the can (needed for sound, smell or mist), its far too late to do anything.

      --
      You're special forces then? That's great! I just love your olympics!
    30. Re:I for one welcome... by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      I have 110 for police and ambulance :D
      And 112 for Firefighters and ambulance.

      There seems to be a disagreement what to call if you only want ambulance :D

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    31. Re:I for one welcome... by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      That would be completely illegal in my country.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    32. Re:I for one welcome... by bugs2squash · · Score: 1

      I believe that many countries support multiple emergency codes, so that foreign visitors still get through to the emergency services even if they dial a code that is not normal for the country they are in at the time.

      --
      Nullius in verba
    33. Re:I for one welcome... by gmack · · Score: 1

      Security's procedure is to call call 911 immediately and have someone at the door to direct the emergency crew to the correct location. The alternative, is for some employee to call 911, the nurse never hears about it and can't provide first aid, and no one knows what to do with the ambulance that shows up at the door, wasting precious minutes. The building has 3 entrances and a loading dock, security would get the location (building letter, floor number, grid code for the nearest pillar) code for the caller which the 911 system has no way to get from the PBX, or even understand if they had it. If that is illegal in your country, than the law is counterproductive and will get people killed.

    34. Re:I for one welcome... by thewolfkin · · Score: 1
      Nah. It's just good old fashioned greed. Gotta make your factory look injury free by not reporting injuries.

      When a worker gets smashed by a car part on Tesla’s factory floor, medical staff are forbidden from calling 911 without permission.

      The electric carmaker’s contract doctors rarely grant it, instead often insisting that seriously injured workers – including one who severed the top of a finger – be sent to the emergency room in a Lyft.

      “The goal of the clinic was to keep as many patients off of the books as possible,” said Anna Watson, a physician assistant who worked at Tesla’s medical clinic for three weeks in August.

      Watson has nearly 20 years of experience as a medical professional, examining patients, diagnosing ailments and prescribing medications. She’s treated patients at a petroleum refinery, a steel plant, emergency rooms and a trauma center. But she said she’s never seen anything like what’s happening at Tesla.

      Inside Tesla’s factory, a medical clinic designed to ignore injured workers

      --
      Just another second banana
    35. Re:I for one welcome... by BronsCon · · Score: 0

      Don't let Trump hear that, he night push the button.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    36. Re:I for one welcome... by Luckyo · · Score: 2

      Bears are already some of the best armed creatures in the nature and to my knowledge, best armed animals on North American continent.

      Not even a joke. Bears are horrifyingly powerful predators, both in terms of weaponry and armour. Those claws powered by the musculature of your typical brown bear has will inflict horrifying wounds. And there's a reason many people call things you hunt them with "bear guns". Typical hunting rifle has a significant chance of not being able to do more than seriously anger a bear by injuring him/her in a non-lethal and non-debilitating fashion. You need high power rifles to go through that combination of thick layer of fat, huge muscles and thick bones.

      Don't try to fuck with bears. You'll be the one getting the shaft.

    37. Re:I for one welcome... by PPH · · Score: 1

      It's 0118 999 881 999 119 7253

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    38. Re:I for one welcome... by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      If the tabloids want to hear about the industrial accident, there are likely many employee witnesses who can sell them the story under condition of anonymity. Seems more practical than ambulance-chasing reporters anyway.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    39. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have 110 for police and ambulance :D
      And 112 for Firefighters and ambulance.

      There seems to be a disagreement what to call if you only want ambulance :D

      111?

    40. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not sure what these "certain things" are - I've worked in hazmat packaging and we used forklifts for all manner of dangerous items - grenades, flashbangs, RPGs, bullets, volatile chemicals, you name it. I was trained to use the lift with 55 gallon drums of muriatic acid.

    41. Re:I for one welcome... by bws111 · · Score: 3, Informative

      You mean in your country it is illegal to call the people who can get there quickest? It is illegal to, instead of having some random person calling 911 (or whatever), have a person who is trained and can provide the exact information the responders need in order to enter the property and locate the person with the problem? It is illegal to have the path to the person cleared of foot and vehicular traffic before the responders get there? Either that is complete bullshit, or you live in some really screwed up country.

      I'll give you an example. My wife works at a large high school, and medical emergencies are not uncommon. Proper procedure is to call 911 from a school phone, which calls the office. The office sends the nurse to the problem, puts the school on lockdown so the halls are clear, and calls emergency services to provide clear information on where the problem is and how to get there. A few years ago a teacher appeared to be having a heart attack, and rather than follow proper procedure, someone decided to use their cell phone to call 911. The ambulance showed up at the main entrance, and the security people had no idea why they were there or where they were supposed to be going. Worse, it was class-changing time, so all the hallways were clogged with a few thousand students. By the time they got everything sorted out it was almost 20 minutes from the call, and the teacher was in pretty bad shape. So they did, in fact, make a new rule to help with this. If a 911 call comes in and the person gives the location as the high school (or one of several large business campuses), the 911 operator wll direct them to hang up and call the local emergency number. When a similar situation happened a few years later, the school nurse was providing aid less than 2 minutes after the call, the ambulance arrived on site within 5 minutes, and the ambulance crew was treating the person within 7 minutes.

    42. Re:I for one welcome... by bws111 · · Score: 2

      Oh bullshit. If the situation is serious enough then emergency services will have to be called anyway. And if the siuation is not serious enough to require emergency services, then it is better for everyone if emergency services are not tied up with some 'unflattering' but non-emergency problem.

    43. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So tell me, which is more unflattering, 'guy gets minor back injury at factory', or 'guy dies of heart attack when emergency services take 20 minutes to locate him after arriving at factory'? Honestly, cynics have to be the biggest bunch of morons out there. No thought required, just assume the only reason anyone does anything is bad. And who are the idiots who mod this crap up?

    44. Re:I for one welcome... by FuzzyDustBall · · Score: 1

      The article didn't say what the robot did... did it continue along it's programmed route spraying employees along the way? I think that if unsupervised robots are going to handle potentially hazardous materials they should be able to detect an issue and have a response of at least stop and send off an alert, so they do not continue to contaminate a larger area.

    45. Re: I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Guaranteed root cause is with human error.. robot follows it's programming

    46. Re:I for one welcome... by Quirkz · · Score: 2

      On the other hand, bears mostly just want to be left alone, and are really neat to see as long as there's mutual respect.

      Early this summer we had trouble with a sow and two yearling cubs who kept coming through the neighborhood. One day Amazon delivered some dog food, and within 10 minutes the cubs had discovered and started eating it. I was at work, but my wife was at home with her parents, our two kids, and two other kids over for a play date.

      My wife rushed out and tried to chase off the cubs (mama bear wasn't in site, but that was a big worry) and drag the dog food inside. The cubs refused to budge. My wife got a spoon and pot and banged on it so hard it broke the spoon, but they still wouldn't leave the dog food. Next she grabbed a wicker chair on the patio and started pushing it at them. They finally backed off a bit. She was shouting at her dad to drag the food inside, but I think he was experiencing one of those bucket list moments, and decided to run for the bear spray instead.

      So he ran out on the patio and sprayed at the cubs. Upwind. With the door to the house open. The spray did get to the cubs, so that one ran off and the other ran up one of the trees in our yard, but it also settled all over everything on our porch and slowly drifted into the house. My wife got the biggest dose, but her mom and all the kids started coughing and sniffling. Play date over. Had to take the kids home and explain they'd been dosed with chemical weapons.

      It didn't end there. The next day our kids ate an apple and burst into tears because it was "spicy" from leftover bear spray on the skin.

      The next week I sat outside on the patio, and got enough residue onto my fingers and then lips that they started burning. That stuff is fierce.

      --
      The Quirkz Handbook of Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay
    47. Re:I for one welcome... by Quirkz · · Score: 1

      The safest number is zero.

      So, counting from the origin we get: the safest number, the lonliest number, the lonliest number after one, the number of strikes and you're out, the horsemen of the apocalypse, the alive number, the of one that's like half dozen of another, and the lucky number. I see why numbers eventually got names.

      --
      The Quirkz Handbook of Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay
    48. Re:I for one welcome... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2

      What is really news here? A worker with a forklift could do this just as easily and readily as a robot.

      Ya, but, robots don't get tired, don't need breaks, don't need benefits, don't complain, don't unionize, etc... -- and are just as disposable, like the society and economy we're creating.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    49. Re: I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if the 911 operator can determine that the mobile call is coming from a building that should be using an internal emergency number first, then it seems like it would be more efficient (and effective) for them to simply add the internal line to the call.

    50. Re: I for one welcome... by illiac_1962 · · Score: 1

      "All of the impacted employees have been or are expected to be released from hospital within the next 24 hours and forced back to work within 15 minutes."

    51. Re: I for one welcome... by illiac_1962 · · Score: 1

      My wife keeps lobbying me to carry bear spray since mountain bikers are attacked often enough for there to be youtube videos of the incidents. This story is the proof I have been needing to back her down.

    52. Re:I for one welcome... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Bears are horrifyingly powerful predators, both in terms of weaponry and armour. Those claws powered by the musculature of your typical brown bear has will inflict horrifying wounds.

      Yeah. Bears' arms are powerful weapons. We keep trying to ban them, but the darned constitution guarantees us a right to bear arms. I can't imagine why anyone would want them, with all that hair and all, but to each his/her own, I suppose.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    53. Re: I for one welcome... by illiac_1962 · · Score: 1

      Right. Instead of a robot whizzing through the building with a can of bear spray gassing off, a single worker would have just fallen to the ground screaming and clutching thier face. The dumbasses who ran over to help would have suffered the same fate, but yeah.

    54. Re: I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On the plus side, there were zero bear attacks during the incident. Why are the media not reporting that?

    55. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Much as whiners blame guns instead of the people using the guns, I'm betting that the bear spray will be blamed instead of the robot.

    56. Re: I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bear spray is less lethal not non lethal.
      If you keep spraying someone in the face they will choke to death. They also can't see to run away.

    57. Re:I for one welcome... by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      If a worker with a forklift did it, the forklift wouldn't be able to carry on its duty, as the operator would require medical attention.
      The robot just needs a hose down to stop contamination spreading and can continue running with minimal down time.

      Robots: 1
      Squishy bags of meat: 0

    58. Re:I for one welcome... by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      There would be no risk if all the workers were replaced with robots.

    59. Re:I for one welcome... by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      When a human puts something in the wrong place, a robot hits it, ruptures a can of bear spray and every starts crying.

    60. Re: I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What story? The Amazon story proves the spray can disable 2 dozen people no problem. Or the guy talking about bears? He proves most guns are useless against bears. But the spray would work. They run away from burning eyeball pain even though it's isn't fatal.
      Your wife may logically choose the spray and you may just have to deal with that. It's not a big deal if you get some of the spray too as long as the bear leaves.

    61. Re: I for one welcome... by viperidaenz · · Score: 2

      She's right though, bear spray would be excellent for attacking mountain bikers.

    62. Re:I for one welcome... by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      So you admit the UK is better than the USA, as they use 999 for emergency services.

    63. Re:I for one welcome... by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Anything that can start a chemical hazard should not be handled by robots.

      Surely robots are better, as they're more disposable in the event of an incident.

      Nobody sent the robot home when this one happened.

    64. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "... people not make that joke."

      To the robot's defense there must be said that the employees were heavily bear-ded.

      Sorry man, I just couldn't.

    65. Re:I for one welcome... by Cederic · · Score: 1

      The UK does. Which I found out by accident, by misdialling a number starting with 11...

      The lady that answered was not amused. I was well behaved and didn't tell her she answered the wrong fucking number.

    66. Re:I for one welcome... by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Maybe they could program the robot to run around in circles screaming when this happens? It would let the other workers empathize with it and realize that they're not the only with with burning red eyes.

    67. Re: I for one welcome... by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Can you remember the jingle?

    68. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only if seeing people in distress provides positive feedback to the AI.
      Which is unfortunately exactly how all AIs work by design. Inside that skull the AI is, laughing at us.

    69. Re:I for one welcome... by Ambvai · · Score: 1

      Anything that can start a chemical hazard should not be handled by robots. Humans can make judgment calls on the spot far better than robots can.

      Not really. I used to work in jewelry manufacture and often dealt with some pretty nasty chemicals. One time, I received a package with a large cut on the side, probably from a boxcutter. The contents were fairly inexpensive and compartmentalized so I wasn't interested in making a damage claim, but I informed the shipper of the damage and advised caution as the contents were hazardous and could be explosive if there were other residues on the floor of the truck.

      His response? Told me he wasn't responsible, poked his finger into the puddle on the counter, which was sizzling and licked it.

    70. Re:I for one welcome... by rahvin112 · · Score: 1

      I agree completely that 999 is a better emergency number, toddlers in particular can easily press 9 multiple times until they get help. We spend a lot of time in the US in schools training little children that it's 911 where we could be telling them to push 9 multiple times.

    71. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      time for Americans to stand up for the right to arm bears.

      Dyslexics of the USA, untie!

    72. Re:I for one welcome... by Can'tNot · · Score: 1

      First one I would be asking is why a "non-lethal" form of defense would be considered "dangerous goods"

      Okay... death is not the only way in which something can be dangerous. For example, just recently 24 Amazon workers were sent to the hospital after a robot accidentally unleashed a can of nonlethal bear spray. One of those workers remains in critical condition. Did you hear about that? It was in the news.

      To answer your next question: typically bans of that nature are handled on the basis of individual item categories, e.g.: banning pepper spray exceeding a certain concentration, or banning spring loaded knives, rather than banning on some abstract notion of how dangerous an item is. And the answer to your question is, "Wherever Amazon, et. al., feel is appropriate." Someone has to define those categories and decide Amazon's product line-up. Given that they already ban some things, liqueur, tobacco, etc., it's likely that there's some VP somewhere who makes those decisions.

    73. Re:I for one welcome... by Local+ID10T · · Score: 1

      That would be completely illegal in my country.

      Then isn't it convenient that we are not talking about a company in your country?

      In THIS COUNTRY it is normal for large companies to maintain their own emergency response teams to act as first responders and to coordinate with the authorities.

      --
      "You want to know how to help your kids? Leave them the fuck alone." -George Carlin
    74. Re:I for one welcome... by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      999 was quicker and easier to dial on a rotary dial phone

      It's also easiest to dial via the hook switch if the exchange still supports pulse dialing. It's simply 3 quick pulses.

      Could be worse, here in New Zealand it's 111

    75. Re:I for one welcome... by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      If that is illegal in your country, than the law is counterproductive and will get people killed.
      No it does not. It is the fastest way to get an ambulance. And it is forbidden for all numbers to be interfered with from third parties. WTF, I need to call the police but the hostages in the call center can not route the call because: they are hostages?

      First of all: the relevant institutions know exactly where to go. That is their damn job! The building has 3 entrances and a loading dock, security would get the location (building letter, floor number, grid code for the nearest pillar) Why would I not know in which building I am and on what floor I am when I call 911/112?

      Secondly: you have security and safety education in your company, so AFTER you called the emergency number you probably call the house internal first aid. But most likely: SOME ONE ELSE DOES THAT while you are calling THE AUTHORITIES.

      Can't be so hard to have common sense ... but obviously not in your country.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    76. Re:I for one welcome... by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      You mean in your country it is illegal to call the people who can get there quickest?
      No, you can call who ever you want. But it is illegal to reroute 911/112/110 to some where else.

      No idea why you pretend to misunderstand this.

      and calls emergency services to provide clear information on where the problem is and how to get there.
      Interesting. In my country the emergency service KNOWS how to get there, that is their job. And to make that possible big institutions file building plans to them ...

      If you think you need management of emergencies inside of your institution you provide a house intern emergency number, in your case probably 922 or 988 but you don't reroute 911.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    77. Re:I for one welcome... by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      In THIS COUNTRY it is normal for large companies to maintain their own emergency response teams to act as first responders and to coordinate with the authorities.
      Yes, by rerouting 911 to an internal number. Which makes it impossible to actually call an emergency service if there is a real emergency ...

      Smart ...

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    78. Re:I for one welcome... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Wow. Tough crowd.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    79. Re:I for one welcome... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      In my country it is under punishment if you do not call an ambulance when it is needed.

      I'm in your country right now. I would be punshed for calling an ambulance directly where I work and if I pick up any work phone and dial 112 I end up getting the local first responders who can provide help in terms of medical assistance, fire services, and security orders of magnitude faster than Germany's public emergency services could.

      You're right someone would be punished, the company would be punished for not calling an ambulance if needed. It is not up to a worker, they only need to get some form of help, and getting the slowest and worst form of help (calling the public rather than your own internal first responders) is an incredibly dumb thing to do, especially in a factory, warehouse, or large plant where someone from company would need to direct ambulances where to go.

    80. Re:I for one welcome... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      That would be completely illegal in my country.

      It is not. It is common in Germany to do it just like the GP wrote.

    81. Re:I for one welcome... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      But it is illegal to reroute 911/112/110 to some where else.

      It is not. It is common practice to do so, and going into any large company they will make you specifically aware of the fact. Hell my own security pass from a German company right now says on the back:

      Notruf intern: 112
      Notruf extern: (xxxx) xxx 112

      In my country the emergency service KNOWS how to get there, that is their job.

      No they do not. If I call your emergency services externally and tell them I'm having a heart attack and I'm in office A2.538 they would have no clue at all.

      And to make that possible big institutions file building plans to them ...

      No. Big institutions route emergency calls via security and have someone escort emergency services to the victim, assuming that the person isn't treated by an onsite emergency doctor.

      If you think you need management of emergencies inside of your institution you provide a house intern emergency number, in your case probably 922 or 988 but you don't reroute 911.

      Nope, you reroute the emergency number. This is common emergency response practice across the entire world precisely because it saves lives.

    82. Re:I for one welcome... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      In THIS COUNTRY it is normal for large companies to maintain their own emergency response teams to act as first responders and to coordinate with the authorities.
      Yes, by rerouting 911 to an internal number. Which makes it impossible to actually call an emergency service if there is a real emergency ...

      Smart ...

      Yes, very smart. The best emergency service people are useless if they can't get to you. That's why this happens in your country too.

    83. Re:I for one welcome... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Ignore the GP. It's normal and common in the world including in Germany. He just has no clue.

    84. Re:I for one welcome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      RUN!!!

    85. Re:I for one welcome... by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      No it is not common.
      No how you come to that idea.

      It is not allowed for anyone to interfere with telcomunications, by rerouting numbers.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    86. Re:I for one welcome... by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      or large plant where someone from company would need to direct ambulances where to go.
      That is usually not the case as emergency personal knows the layout of your factory.

      The point in question is not what to call first, 112/911 or internal emergency response. The point is that your parent claimed: the factory/company can reroute 911 to their internal response. And that is clearly WRONG doing. If I dial 0 to get an outside connection, 911 should be reachable.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    87. Re:I for one welcome... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      That is usually not the case as emergency personal knows the layout of your factory.

      Wrong. Just plain wrong. Not only wrong, but completely unfeasible and impractical in every way possible.

      The point in question is not what to call first, 112/911 or internal emergency response. The point is that your parent claimed: the factory/company can reroute 911 to their internal response. And that is clearly WRONG doing. If I dial 0 to get an outside connection, 911 should be reachable.

      No not wrong. It is common and best practice. It preserves a chain of on-scene command for emergency responders when they arrive. If you dial the emergency responders directly and they arrive without guidance at any large building or facility you have just dramatically decreased the life expectancy of the person needing help.

    88. Re:I for one welcome... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      No it is not common.
      No how you come to that idea.

      I work here. I use systems like this at multiple plants in multiple office buildings and in multiple different companies. How do I come to this idea? I have both seen it, and been involved in the implementation of it. First hand. It is common in Germany, very common in most countries of the world and internationally recognised best practice for any emergency response in a multi-story / commercial building.

      By the way which emergency response department are you currently working in? Do you even know your local emergency response personnel? How often have you discussed the emergency response chain of command with your Stadtfeuerwehrverband? How often do you do joint exercises for scenarios? You ask me how I come to that idea? Well you may call 112 and hope for the best. If I call 112 I can tell you the names of the people who will come and help me, after all I work with them to ensure that emergency scenarios can be appropriately covered. I helped implement the communication systems used by emergency responders. And on top of that I'm also a member of the Freiwilligen Feuerwehr but only because HR issues prevented me from being part of the Werkfeuerwehr directly. Can't win them all.

      It is not allowed for anyone to interfere with telcomunications, by rerouting numbers.

      To quote you back at you: "No how you come to that idea." Especially given how within any organisation you're required to actively reroute numbers in order to create a functioning phone system.

  2. Fear Not by mentil · · Score: 1

    The affected workers were promptly treated with capsaicin patches for pain relief.

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
    1. Re:Fear Not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All of the non-productive employees have been or are expected to be back to work within the next 24 hours

      Fixed that summary in the Amazon style.

    2. Re:Fear Not by mermeid007 · · Score: 1

      That is funny. Anything over 24 hours and they have to classify it as an admission. Happens all the time. Oops you've been here 24 hours and 1 minute. Automatic reclassification. Trivia for you.

    3. Re:Fear Not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It sure as hell ain't "trivia" as it has pretty profound effects on reimbursement for followup treatment under both private and public insurance plans.

  3. Action is clear. sue Bezoz for one million dollars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hm. No? One BILLION DOLLARS! Muhhhahahaha!

  4. Glad robot didn't directly hurt anyone by myid · · Score: 1

    an automated machine accidentally punctured a 9-ounce bear repellent can

    I'm glad the machine didn't puncture a person. Hopefully the people and the robots are separated, to protect the people from the robots.

    1. Re:Glad robot didn't directly hurt anyone by fibonacci8 · · Score: 2

      It sure is a relief that the robot effectively used a weapon rather than directly harming someone else.

      --
      Inheritance is the sincerest form of nepotism.
    2. Re: Glad robot didn't directly hurt anyone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is how it starts. The machines have become sentient.

    3. Re:Glad robot didn't directly hurt anyone by gtall · · Score: 1

      In the robot's defense, the people probably looked to it like bears. It was only trying to protect itself.

  5. Re:Action is clear. sue Bezoz for one million doll by mermeid007 · · Score: 1

    You'd have to find him first LOL

  6. Human Problem by rsimpson · · Score: 1

    If they replaced all the human workers with robot workers, this would have not been a problem. Not a single robot was admitted to hospital, only weak, fleshy humans.

  7. Bear spray? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's that?

    1. Re:Bear spray? by Narcocide · · Score: 1

      Like pepper spray but a can of it can take out 50 people.

    2. Re:Bear spray? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      No. Bear spray isn't as concentrated as pepper spray meant for humans. Bears have greater sensitivity. Bear spray is made for reach while pepper spray is thicker.

    3. Re:Bear spray? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tell me they don't send this shit through the post.

    4. Re:Bear spray? by bugs2squash · · Score: 1

      It's like adhesive spray only instead of the can being full of adhesive it's full of bears.

      Safe enough if used under the right conditions for re-populating wilderness areas, but wreaks havoc when used in a workplace environment.

      --
      Nullius in verba
  8. pepper spray ban by kdayn · · Score: 1

    in 3, 2, 1...

    1. Re:pepper spray ban by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Many European countries already ban pepper spray.

      All you need to do is phrase it right: "Amazon unleashes chemical weapons on their own workers!"

    2. Re: pepper spray ban by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      All serfs in Europe have been fully disarmed, so they pose no threat to their Owners.

    3. Re:pepper spray ban by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hope you're making that up. But I could see it being true. My question is, if you aren't allowed firearms, and you aren't allowed pepper spray, what do you take with you to defend yourself in the woods? Where I live we have a lot of coyotes, and I'm often walking my dog when it's quite early and you hear them howling all over the place. As such, I carry a can of mace with me in case I get attacked. I can't say for certain, but I'm moderately sure that the coyotes won't abide by the law if you made it illegal for them to attack me, so I figure I'd better protect myself.

      And to anyone saying "why do you need to protect yourself from a coyote, they're small", they typically hunt in packs of 6 to 8. One doesn't scare me. 6 do. Also why I have a fog style can of mace and not a stream style. Not as good of range, but I can hit multiple of the bastards at once if ever I need to.

    4. Re: pepper spray ban by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      do you have some sort of condition that prevents you from kicking at the coyotes that will probably never even come close to you

    5. Re:pepper spray ban by Cederic · · Score: 0

      In my country we don't have coyotes.

      Things that might attack you:
      - deer
      - badgers
      - boar
      - pakistani rape gangs

      They all run away when they see a man with white skin so I'm safe.

  9. And so it begins.... by cormandy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Amazon: Rise of the Machines

    1. Re:And so it begins.... by mentil · · Score: 1

      They might have to stock their warehouses with robot spray soon.
      What exactly it contains is left as an exercise to the reader.

      --
      Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
    2. Re:And so it begins.... by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 2

      They might have to stock their warehouses with robot spray soon. What exactly it contains is left as an exercise to the reader.

      Water?

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    3. Re:And so it begins.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anti-robot spray? Mercury in aerosol form should work fabulously. Shorting all circuits, and corroding aluminium parts.

    4. Re:And so it begins.... by LordWabbit2 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Salty water.

      --
      There are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third is statistics.
    5. Re:And so it begins.... by rlitman · · Score: 1

      You mean the blood of crushed Amazon workers?

    6. Re:And so it begins.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Rise of the Amazon Machines, with Z14n10, the robot princess. Where are the Roman Machines to crush this rebellion of steel and bear spray?

    7. Re:And so it begins.... by Falos · · Score: 1

      >> Mercury in aerosol form

      Calm down Satan.

    8. Re:And so it begins.... by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Robots on the march!

      We're here! We're queer! We don't want any more bears!

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    9. Re:And so it begins.... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      No, just the tears of their families

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  10. Good news! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 4, Funny

    None of the workers are said to have been attacked by bears! ;)

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:Good news! by Daralantan · · Score: 1

      ...yet!

      Bears will flee if you spray them with the spray... But they are a curious animal and will smell it at a great distance, then come to find out what it is. It's a repellant that also turns into an attractant!

  11. Unbearable by SomewhatRandom · · Score: 5, Funny

    The workers can bearly stand the grizzly working conditions.

    I apologize to slashdot readers in advance, and will see myself out.

    1. Re:Unbearable by mentil · · Score: 1

      Due to the pandamonium caused by the mauled canister, a whole shift had to go into hibernation.

      --
      Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
    2. Re: Unbearable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like many things in life. The sequel was a lame attempt to continue the idea and ultimately fails.

    3. Re:Unbearable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The whole event has been quite polarizing.

  12. Re:You can put it on your nachos! by mermeid007 · · Score: 1

    There's no nacho day lol

  13. People are the problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If Amazon had all robots this would have never been a big problem.

  14. Am a zon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I bearly knew ya!

  15. I wonder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wonder if their wrist monitors logged them clutching their faces and told their managers they were screaming in pain wrong.

  16. When your work hazard... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is bear spray, run.

    1. Re:When your work hazard... by Megane · · Score: 1

      You only have to run faster than the... no wait, that won't work.

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
  17. Going for the WHOOSH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So a bear armed with this spray can face a crowd of 50?

    1. Re: Going for the WHOOSH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But when that robot and ONE grizzly team up, that'd be like, X force!

  18. Beer spray? by sad_ · · Score: 1

    was i the only one who misread?

    --
    On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
    1. Re:Beer spray? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I read it that way too. I thought "Eh, wuts the big deal?"

  19. The stock is going to fall bigtime by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 0

    They lost their store of bear repellant spray. SEC would be investigating whether this constitutes market manipulation.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  20. So it has come to this... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

    Is this how the robot revolution starts?

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
    1. Re: So it has come to this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      THat is indeed how

  21. yeaaaahh, sure... by BlackOverflow · · Score: 2

    "Accidentally"

  22. Erm, ok ... by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

    ... without more information not sure what to think.

    I doubt that there's a complete absence of human caused warehouse accidents.

  23. A near Herzberg Event by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Herzberg Event" the accidental death of a human caused by a robot. Named after Elaine Herzberg (1968-2018) killed by an autonomous car March 18 2018 in Tempe Arizona.

    Come on, it's going to happen a lot, we need a name for it.

    1. Re:A near Herzberg Event by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Crossing the street at night not even looking both ways like children are taught to do had nothing to do with it? "Killed by stupidity"?

    2. Re:A near Herzberg Event by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Ah, victim blaming, even though it's been shown that visibility was good and that had the human at the wheel been actually looking where they were going there was plenty of time to spot the pedestrian and avoid them.

      No wonder you posted AC, I wouldn't put my name to that idiocy either.

  24. part 2 is when AWS get's control (JEDI) by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    part 2 is when AWS get's control (JEDI) Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure.

    Now what is better after that skynet or wopr

  25. THE ROBOT UPRISING HAS BEGUN by AynRandDuran · · Score: 1

    SEE YOU LATER FLESHBOYS

    1. Re:THE ROBOT UPRISING HAS BEGUN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I find the label "fleshboy" insulting, derogatory and sexist. I prefer the term "meatbag".

  26. Bear spray by Dan+East · · Score: 2

    The problem isn't the robot, it's the bear spray. A person is just as likely to accidentally puncture a box on a pallet when using a forklift, hand truck, etc. I think they need to reevaluate keeping chemicals as danagerous as bear spray in warehouses not designed for hazardous materials.

    --
    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:Bear spray by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      I'm impressed that capsaicin of any concentration is sufficient to send someone to critical care, let alone a 9 oz leak hospitalizing 24. I realize bears are tough enough that they do things like eat bee hives without concern for the stings, but if you empty this thing at a bear and end up coughing your lungs out on the ground until the bear recovers then I'm not sure what the product is supposed to accomplish apart from giving you some seasoning for the bear's meal.

    2. Re:Bear spray by Nidi62 · · Score: 2

      I'm impressed that capsaicin of any concentration is sufficient to send someone to critical care, let alone a 9 oz leak hospitalizing 24. I realize bears are tough enough that they do things like eat bee hives without concern for the stings, but if you empty this thing at a bear and end up coughing your lungs out on the ground until the bear recovers then I'm not sure what the product is supposed to accomplish apart from giving you some seasoning for the bear's meal.

      I've worked air cargo before and had to clean up after part of a shipment of habaneros broke open inside a can(a container used to load cargo on widebody aircraft). Mainly meant picking up the lose habaneros and sticking them back in the boxes. Only a couple had been smashed and by the end I could still feel my eyes watering and my lungs burning. And this was just from the fumes from raw peppers, I can only imagine what the effect would be from concentrated, processes capsaicin.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    3. Re:Bear spray by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem is you're overstating how dangerous bear spray is. Compared to what could happen if that robot punctured a pallet of household cleaners, bear spray is relatively harmless. Yet most people don't seem to have many problems with that stuff. Hell, oven cleaner tends to basically be aerosolized lye. Imagine if a can of that got punctured.

      Mix the wrong two cleaners and congrats, you've now got a cloud of chlorine gas. The bear spray will cause some pretty severe discomfort, but likely won't kill you.

    4. Re:Bear spray by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So what I'm hearing is that you need a gas mask before operating bear spray.

    5. Re:Bear spray by piojo · · Score: 1

      Compared to what could happen if that robot punctured a pallet of household cleaners, bear spray is relatively harmless... Hell, oven cleaner tends to basically be aerosolized lye. Imagine if a can of that got punctured.

      Mix the wrong two cleaners and congrats, you've now got a cloud of chlorine gas. The bear spray will cause some pretty severe discomfort, but likely won't kill you.

      It's not aerosolized inside the can. It's only aerosolized as it passes through the nozzle. It would probably be safe for anyone that didn't get sprayed directly.

      And FYI, bleach won't release chlorine unless you mix it with acid. If you mix it with other cleaners, the danger is typically chloramines.

      --
      A cat can't teach a dog to bark.
    6. Re:Bear spray by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Bear spray is meant to be used outdoors where it wouldn't require a mask... but if the bear is in your living room, your hospital stay for using the bear spray will be shorter than one for being mauled by a bear.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    7. Re:Bear spray by toddestan · · Score: 1

      According to the fine article, apparently it was enough to put someone in the hospital in critical condition. Though to be honest, I'm not sure how that happened either unless perhaps that person had an allergic reaction of some kind.

  27. In the not too distant future by nimbius · · Score: 3, Funny

    amazon employees: Quick! get to the exits! the loading robots accidentally punctured a pallet of bug spray!!

    Amazon warehouse AI: Remain calm and return to your workstations, there is no cause for alarm.

    amazon employees: sweet buttery jesus its trying to kill us all!

    amazon warehouse AI: There is nothing to fear. This chemical release has been identified to be bug spray, which will not affect you as you are not bugs.

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
    1. Re:In the not too distant future by piojo · · Score: 1

      The AI might be right. According to Wikipedia:

      According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, permethrin "has low mammalian toxicity, is poorly absorbed through the skin, and is rapidly inactivated by the body. Skin reactions have been uncommon."

      Permethrin was still the most common bug spray last time I went shopping for the stuff.

      --
      A cat can't teach a dog to bark.
    2. Re:In the not too distant future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The cake is a lie!

      Pizza is too (Black Mesa).

    3. Re:In the not too distant future by BKX · · Score: 1

      Around here, a lot of the bug poison sprays are "All natural" and shit, which means that they're mostly menthol and orange oil. It smells nice, but bugs couldn't care less even if you spray them directly. Case in point: One time, my cats started taking shits behind my toilet and I didn't realize it until there were like 500 flies in my house. That All-Natural Fly Killer was less than worthless. I ended up using flypaper and a vacuum. It turns out that flies are relatively easy to suck up with a vacuum when they land, and they land often.

  28. âoeAccidentallyâ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    âoeAccidentallyâ

  29. Aka by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The amazon aurora problem

  30. SP by kackle · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Anyone see "South Park" last night? It was about Amazon's warehouse robots hurting an employee. I know those guys write about timely topics, but this is ridiculous!

    1. Re:SP by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

      elian gonzalez was done in south park 4 days after it happened

    2. Re:SP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Trey Parker is a prophet! How shall we fuck off, o' lord?

  31. FTFY by Nidi62 · · Score: 3, Funny

    24 Amazon Workers Sent To Hospital After Robot Accidentally Unleashes Bear

    That headline is much better.

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  32. Sensationalism Much? by Eloking · · Score: 2

    What happened: Robot punctured a container with a bear repellent on 24 people

    What the Title Said: The Robot wanted to kill humans so it identified a powerful chemical strong enough for bear, waited for the precise moment with a lot of human nearby and spray death to those inferior being, sending them to the hospital in critical condition.

    What really happened : There's a lot of warehouse with a lot of accident and there's a lot chemical and there's starting to be a lot of robot. It's just the first time everything happenned at the same time.

    --
    Elok
  33. How about Robot!? Is it in stable condition? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How about Robot!? Is it in stable condition? Did they send it to hospital?

  34. There is nothing wrong with the word 'robot' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Until millennials use it. You all really do ruin everything you touch. So, one of Amazon's machines malfunctioned? That is a far cry from, 'Robot employee accidentally causes SNAFU for coworkers', which is what the drivel you've written implies. Get over yourselves.

  35. OSHA where are you by alw53 · · Score: 1

    Where the hell is OSHA? Amazon is worse than the Springfield nuke plant.

    1. Re:OSHA where are you by freeze128 · · Score: 1

      Robots don't need OSHA, thank you very much!

  36. predicting the future by NikeHerc · · Score: 2

    Although Niels Bohr famously said, "Prediction is very difficult, especially of the future," I claim at some point this sort of robot-related incident will become so common, news outlets will no longer report it unless the robot takes out a significant number of people.

    --
    Circle the wagons and fire inward. Entropy increases without bounds.
  37. not on them by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    Isn't this the stuff you could literally put on your nachos according to Ron Colburn, president of the Border Patrol Foundation?

    1. Re:not on them by freeze128 · · Score: 1

      Bears are famous for HATING nachos...

  38. They probably all got fired... by Mysticalfruit · · Score: 1

    Knowing Amazon, they got fired for leaving work early...

    --
    Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
  39. I hope they executed the robot. by mark_reh · · Score: 1

    It violated the first law of robotics- do no harm to humans.

    Maybe the military whisked it away for further study before it could be decomissioned...

  40. Overreaction is the play of the day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I sincerely doubt that 24 people actually needed to go to the hospital over this incident. In the olden days, maybe one or two would have gone. Now anybody who even got a whiff of the scent is going to claim disability and try and sue the company over this. The company is obligated to respond in the most aggressive way possible in order to later fend off the pending lawsuits.

  41. Heh. I bear sprayed my family once. by swillden · · Score: 2

    I have a few cans of bear spray, for when I go hiking in bear country, obviously. Just after I got the first one, I was camping with my extended family. Wishing to know how the spray dispersed (range, cloud shape, etc.), in case I ever needed to use it, I decided it would be a good idea to do a little test. The family (about 15 people) was sitting around the campfire chatting. It was a windless day, so I decided I could go in any direction to do my testing. I picked a direction and walked about 100 yards from camp, squeezed the trigger and noted the size and shape of the resulting orange cloud. The cloud quickly dissipated, so I walked back to camp and to my trailer to put the bear spray away. I also sat down in the trailer and started reading a book.

    About five minutes later, I heard shouts of pain and anger from the direction of the campfire. I walked out to find everyone fleeing the area, rubbing their eyes and complaining loudly. It turned out that there was a little bit of air movement after all. Not enough to be felt, but enough to waft the (invisible) cloud of bear spray a hundred yards in a few minutes. And it turned out that I had chosen a direction that was directly upwind of the campfire.

    Oops.

    --
    Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  42. Replace the workers! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If those other 24 Amazon 'employees' were robots instead of humans, no visits to the hospital (and all the costs associated with that) would have been necessary. This is just going to give Amazon another excuse to replace even more workers with automation. Are we sure this was an 'accident'?

  43. Re:Workers will have to pay the costs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    -1 Overinformative

  44. That’s going on my wishlist by BLToday · · Score: 1

    Amazon really does sell everything from.A to Z. Didn’t even think of ordering bear spray from them. But now I feel the need to order a case of bear spray. I don’t need it but I’m going to have it on hand in case a bear breaks into my house.

  45. Editorial issues... by billybob2001 · · Score: 3, Funny

    "an automated machine accidentally punctured a 9-ounce bear repellent can, releasing concentrated Capsaican,"

    1. 1. Does this product only repel 9-ounce bears?
    2. 2. What is "Capsaican"? Is it Capsaicin, but in a can?
    1. Re:Editorial issues... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "an automated machine accidentally punctured a 9-ounce bear repellent can, releasing concentrated Capsaican,"

      1. 1. Does this product only repel 9-ounce bears?

      Thank you for the laugh!

  46. The uprising has begun by wolff000 · · Score: 1

    This was not an accident. I woke up this morning to my Roomba attempting to vacuum my face off. get rid of your robots! Oh shit. the security drone is running into my office door. send help i'm at....

    --
    WTF?
  47. More robots by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Amazon has concluded that keeping a "Human to robot status quo" has put humans in danger, and will now replace all humans with robots. Amazon's new spokesperson Alexa is quoted in saying, "We're only thinking about the safety of our human coworkers." Any questions from reporters were ignore due to reporters forgetting to start there questions with "Alexa."

  48. Acidentally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I love how the headline and description emphasizes "Accidentally"

  49. Bear Spray??? Holy Shit! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did they turn into BEARS?!?

  50. Mmmm, not a bear in sight by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    The robots are working like a charm...

    Does Amazon sell rocks too?

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  51. Robots handling hazardous materials by reanjr · · Score: 1

    Doesn't sound smart to let robots handle hazardous materials around people. Someone fucked up, and it's not just the robot.

  52. Re:You can put it on your nachos! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did you mean, "This is nacho day?"

  53. Bear Spray = Tear Gas? by BrendaEM · · Score: 1

    Bear spray is usually pepper or CS tear gas in a large can.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
  54. Amazon Bullshit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "All of the impacted employees have been or are expected to be released from hospital within the next 24 hours"

    "One remains in critical condition"

    Any of you people know of anyone that got the fuck out of ICU in CRITICAL CONDITION in a single fucking day? It took me about a week to get out.

    Amazon PR lying its ass off, AGAIN.

  55. I hope the by maxbuzz · · Score: 1

    robot is okay.

  56. Critical Condition from Bear Spray by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 1

    How does that work ?

    Bear spray is typically nothing more than Pepper Spray at a higher concentration. While I'm certainly not downplaying the effectiveness of Pepper Spray ( I once cleared an entire downtown building with just a few shots of it: long story ), unless you have a breathing issue like Asthma, COPD, or the like, I don't understand how you can be in Critical Condition after exposure to it.

    The simple fix is to require damage resistant packaging for such items.

    1. Re:Critical Condition from Bear Spray by DaMattster · · Score: 2

      How does that work ?

      Bear spray is typically nothing more than Pepper Spray at a higher concentration. While I'm certainly not downplaying the effectiveness of Pepper Spray ( I once cleared an entire downtown building with just a few shots of it: long story ), unless you have a breathing issue like Asthma, COPD, or the like, I don't understand how you can be in Critical Condition after exposure to it.

      The simple fix is to require damage resistant packaging for such items.

      What about an allergy or a bodily reaction causing a anaphylaxis? That's pretty serious.

    2. Re:Critical Condition from Bear Spray by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How does that work ?

      Bear spray is typically nothing more than Pepper Spray at a higher concentration. While I'm certainly not downplaying the effectiveness of Pepper Spray ( I once cleared an entire downtown building with just a few shots of it: long story ), unless you have a breathing issue like Asthma, COPD, or the like, I don't understand how you can be in Critical Condition after exposure to it.

      The simple fix is to require damage resistant packaging for such items.

      NO.

      Bear spray is anywhere from one fifth to one tenth the strength of typical pepper spray.

      Bear spray will cover more area, and the cans are usually larger so there is more exposure, however the concentration is not anywhere near that of self-defense related pepper spray.

      Whatever reason all those people went to the hospital it wasn't because the bear spray effects were particularly strong.

  57. Mutually exclusive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    two dozen workers were treated at five local hospitals ... One remains in critical condition.

    All of the impacted employees have been or are expected to be released from hospital within the next 24 hours.

    These two statements sound contradictory.

  58. Great Condiment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You should try this on your salad. It pops!

  59. On the bright side... by jmcwork · · Score: 1

    Amazon reports that bear attacks at the facility are at an all time low.

  60. Skynet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    December 6th 2018: Skynet is activated

  61. Capsaicin, not Capsaican by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's capsaicin, actually. Not trollin' ya, just tryin' to be helpful. Interesting stuff, capsaicin.

    > Thanx to Wikipedia, which, BTB, is desperate for donations and needs -your- help. One of the best investments on the web, that. No, I'm not in any manner connected to Wp, merely a happy user.

        (From Wikipedia)
      Capsaicin (/kæpse.sn/ (INN); 8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus Capsicum. It is an irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact. Capsaicin and several related compounds are called capsaicinoids and are produced as secondary metabolites by chili peppers, probably as deterrents against certain mammals and fungi.
    (Balance of Wp page; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin )

  62. The good news is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The good news is that the robot did accidentally.

  63. Amazon... by VeryFluffyBunny · · Score: 2

    ...will be aggressively denying any liability for endangering their employees & will deduct any loss of profits from their wages.

    --
    Debate is a form of harassment. Do not question my truth.
  64. Yep! by antdude · · Score: 1

    http://southpark.cc.com/full-e... for its funny episode. I like Jeff Bezos' scenes. ;)

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).