3 workers died at Amazon’s NJ warehouses. Advocates sue to release details

🔺Three NJ Amazon workers die, weeks apart
🔺Feds say deaths not workplace-related
🔺Lawsuit seeks inspection records

A grassroots workers’ group has filed a lawsuit against federal labor officials, trying to get more report details about deaths at three different New Jersey sites of Amazon, the state’s largest employer.

All three men — Rafael Mota Frias, Rodger Boland, and Eric Vadinsky — died within weeks of each other during the sweltering summer of 2022 in Carteret, Robbinsville and Monroe, respectively.

Inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ruled out workplace factors, including excessive heat, as they publicly released findings in Mota Frias’ death.

Still, the lawsuit outlined reasons for believing that extreme heat within the workplace might have been a factor in the deaths.

An Amazon spokesperson said the OSHA results stand as proof that there was no wrongdoing.

“These were tragic incidents and it’s really disappointing that some people are working to twist them into something they weren’t.” Maureen Lynch Vogel said in a written statement to New Jersey 101.5.

“As is standard in these situations, OSHA conducted thorough investigations and closed all three without citations or allegations of wrong-doing on Amazon’s part, and there’s no evidence that heat was a contributing factor in any of them. Our focus has been, and will always be, on keeping our team safe and supporting them and their families.”

The lawsuit seeks extensive OSHA report details, including interview notes with workers, supervisors and family members in each death.

Carteret death: Rafael Reynaldo Mota Frias

On July 13, 2022, Mota Frias died at the Carteret fulfillment center after suffering cardiac arrest. OSHA attributed his death to a personal medical condition.

Mota Frias was mourned as a hardworking family man, by loved ones in a previous Daily Beast report.

Congressman Donald Norcross tweeted that "this death was preventable" before the OSHA findings were issued.

Robbinsville death: Rodger Boland

On July 24, 2022, Rodger Boland was fatally hurt at the Robbinsville warehouse after falling from a three-foot ladder.

Boland was a longtime Pennsylvania resident, who had also worked for a number of years at General Motors in Ewing, according to his obituary.

His cause of death, three days later, was related to brain damage after falling from the ladder, according to the lawsuit, which also said that Boland's body temperature was extremely high.

Monroe death: Eric Vadinsky

On Aug. 4, 2022, Eric Vadinsky died at an Amazon delivery facility in Monroe.

Vadinsky was a lifelong New Jersey resident who had recently moved to Ocean Grove, according to his obituary.

In the deaths of both Boland and Vadinsky, while OSHA did not publicly issue its findings, the agency also did not issue citations or hazard alert letters as a result of either investigation.

NJ heat standard proposal

As state lawmakers enter the final stretch of the legislative year, workers advocates are pushing movement of the New Jersey Heat Standard Bill, which aims to protect workers during extreme heat conditions.

The measure was introduced into committee in both the Assembly and the State Senate last month.

Amazon said such proposed legislation was on level with their existing standards.

“We appreciate that legislators are concerned with the safety of the community members they represent. Keeping employees safe is our top priority, too, which is why we already have a strong, industry-leading heat management program, and we’ve seen the positive safety impacts of that effort,” the company said.

“For example, our warehouses are climate controlled and all Amazon-branded vehicles have air conditioning, which is above industry standard.”

NBC News reported that the air conditioning system was upgraded in August 2022 at the Carteret facility where Mota Frias had died a month earlier.

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