Amazon Locks Drivers Outside During Tornado Warning!

If we were going to compile a list of Worst Places to Work in Oklahoma, Amazon would have to be near the top of the list.

They’re notorious for treating employees like shit by enforcing strict productivity quotas, constantly monitoring workers through scanners and tracking systems, and now – in the twister capital of America – locking them outside during tornadoes.

KFOR’s Spencer Humphrey has the brutal details:

Yikes! That’s pretty wild, but in all fairness to Amazon, those packages aren’t going to deliver by 9pm by themselves. If we let delivery drivers take cover every time they hear tornado sirens, no work would get done around here! Seriously, what’s next? Giving drivers bathroom breaks?

Then again, maybe Amazon was doing the drivers a favor.

Based on what happened to that Dollar General warehouse during the 2024 Ardmore tornado, it doesn’t look like a giant warehouse is the safest place to be during a tornado event.

Seriously, outside of a mobile home, I can’t think of a worse place to experience a tornado than a giant metal building holding thousands of tons of cheap foreign-made goods stacked high into the air.

KFOR talked to the drivers who were kicked outside as the sirens blared. Naturally, they were a bit annoyed by the whole thing.

“They had like probably 15 to 10 people inside at that point, and they told them that they all had to get out,” one driver said.

At that point, another driver News 4 spoke with walked to the door to try to get an explanation.

“I got right to the door and one of the employees, I just kind of looked him in the face and I was like, ‘These sirens are going off, my friend. Like, we need shelter,’” the driver said. “And his eyes just got big and my eyes got big. And he just pointed at the security guard and was like, ‘We do what he says.’ And I looked at the security guard and he gave me a stare for a second.”

Moments later, the driver said a worker grabbed the door and shut it.

That’s pretty brutal. I wonder what Amazon does during earthquakes? Rush everyone inside?

Also, where exactly in the Amazon EHS manual does it say to force people into a crowded parking lot during a tornado? According to the company, the answer is nowhere:

Amazon told News 4 the actions seen in the video did not follow company policy, and the employees responsible for locking people out have been suspended.

“The health and safety of our employees and partners is our highest priority, and we take these matters very seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The actions taken here did not follow our policies and procedures and we’ve suspended the employees involved while we investigate the incident.”

Well, at least the company is admitting it was a screw-up and suspended the morons who locked everyone out. I just hope it doesn’t slow down any of my deliveries.

Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.