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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.

7 of 221 comments (clear)

  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.

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    /me sighs
    1. 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.

    2. 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.

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      UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
    3. 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.

    4. 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

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      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  2. Good news! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 4, Funny

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

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    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  3. 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.