An Amazon warehouse worker shares the dangers of working in a robot-assisted facility, and says the new floor robots could “squish” him.
ET (@et_dressed_human) posted a viral TikTok of his workplace, which shows a robot-guided shelf traversing the facility’s floor.
Amazon workers vs robots
In the video, the Amazon worker shows rows of shelves dotting the aisles of the warehouse.
“[A] crazy thing about Amazon is all these robots will squish you if you go on that floor,” he says.
The worker shows that he is standing on an elevated platform, where he is safe.
However, he points out, “If I got on that floor, [the robots] go f*cking fast and … in between that crevice you’ll get f*cking squished.”
Just as he says this, a moving shelf comes into frame.
“Look, there’s one coming. That one’s kinda going slow because it’s trying to turn,” he says.
As he speaks, the bottom portion of the device pivots and starts to move closer to ET.
“It’s going to this guy’s station,” the worker says, pointing to the right side of the warehouse.
Workers can be on the floor, the employee clarifies, so long as they wear a special vest that the machines can detect.
“If you go on that thing without having this special vest on that those robots can see you, you’ll get squished by them,” he says, adding that the shelves are extremely heavy.
Robot vest for Amazon workers
PC Mag details the Robotic Tech Vest (RTV) that employees must wear at Amazon facilities that use robots on the work floor. They contain sensors that the robots detect, and avoid, recognizing them as obstacles to move around.
The publication states that the vest increases efficiency and keeps Amazon workers safe. Unfortunately, the technology has resulted in some injuries.
Amazon robots causing injuries
There have been several reports of Amazon warehouse robots purportedly causing injuries to the retailer’s employees. In 2018, Engadget reported that a robot accidentally released bear repellent in a warehouse. 24 workers landed in the hospital as a result.
Amazon shared that the employees were released from hospital care within 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,” the company reported.
TikTokers share their experiences
Several commenters shared their experiences working with on robot-assisted floors at Amazon.
One person shared, “They go even quicker farther out in the pod farm. If I recall from training, those lil roombas weigh about 300 pounds.”
Another said, “Out of curiosity, as the pod was leaving I grabbed the sides and tried to stop it from moving. Almost went flying on the floor.”
“I’ve seen 2 collide with right in front of my station & it almost tipped over. Scariest shift ever,” a third wrote.
@et_dressed_human Amazon work life #AZ ♬ original sound – ET_Dressed_Human
One commenter echoed the creator’s warning, saying, “As a former AFM, it be fun going out on them floors, but if you walk too fast you might get smacked.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Amazon via email and ET via TikTok comment.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
