On December 10, 2021, a tornado strike collapsed both sides of the Illinois warehouse caused its roof to cave in. Six contractors were killed and another was severely injured. Three additional employees sustained minor injuries.
“These tragic deaths have sparked discussions nationwide on the vital need for comprehensive workplace emergency plans,” said OSHA Regional Administrator William Donovan. “Employers should re-evaluate their emergency plans for the safest shelter-in-place locations and prepare before an emergency to ensure workers know where to go and how to keep themselves safe in the event of a disaster.”
The OSHA investigation found that a megaphone, stored in the warehouse to alert workers during an emergency, was locked in a cage and not accessible at the time of the storm. Instead, managers walked through the 1.1 million-square-foot warehouse and told workers to take shelter in the restroom approximately 10 minutes before the tornado’s touchdown.
According to the report, some employees did not know the designated safety area was the restroom in the northern part of the building and took shelter in the bathroom on the southern portion of the building. Other employees could not recall ever participating in any severe weather or shelter-in-place drills.
“OSHA’s investigation did not find any violations or causes for citations, but we’re constantly looking to innovate and improve our safety measures and have already begun conducting additional safety and emergency preparedness drills at our sites and will carefully consider any OSHA recommendation that we have not already,” Nantel continued.
