Amazon is investigating a safety incident at one of its Oklahoma delivery facilities after drivers alleged they were forced outside during an active tornado warning, prompting criticism over worker protections and emergency procedures at the e-commerce giant's logistics network.
The incident occurred on March 10 at an Amazon delivery station located at 8707 Pole Road in Oklahoma City, near the interchange of Interstate 35 and Interstate 240, as the National Weather Service office in Norman issued tornado warnings for the area. Several Amazon Flex drivers said warehouse managers ordered them out of the building while tornado sirens sounded and then closed the doors behind them.
Video recorded by one of the drivers and later circulated online captured employees inside the facility shutting doors as drivers remained outside in the parking lot during the warning.
The National Weather Service (NWS) had issued a tornado watch for central and western Oklahoma beginning at 5:00 p.m. CDT, with a specific tornado warning issued for southwestern Oklahoma City at 6:27 p.m. The warning remained active until 7:15 p.m., according to the agency.
The NWS alert warned of a storm capable of producing a tornado near Mustang, moving northeast at approximately 25 miles per hour. The official warning stated: "Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter."
One driver identified as Maddox told KOKH Fox 25 in Oklahoma City that she began recording video as the warehouse doors were closed while drivers remained outside.
"Okay from my understanding, they're closing the doors on all these people because their priorities are way better than ours," Maddox said in the recording. "We don't belong in a safe environment, and we are all out here now."
Another driver, Clayton Townsend, described attempting to ask warehouse staff for shelter during the storm.
"I just kind of looked him in the face, and I was like, 'These sirens are going off, my friend - we need shelter,'" Townsend told NewsNation.
Townsend said the employee inside the warehouse responded by pointing toward a security guard and telling him: "We do what he says." According to Townsend, another worker then shut the door.
Townsend later told KOKH that Amazon compensated him for the delivery route he missed because of the incident, though he said he was "potentially seeking a lawsuit."
The severe weather ultimately passed north of the facility, avoiding direct impact on the warehouse. Meteorologists confirmed that a tornado touched down in nearby communities during the same storm system.
KFOR chief meteorologist Mike Morgan reported that a tornado touched down near Mustang and Tuttle, west of Oklahoma City, during the event.
Drivers who remained outside said the situation could have become dangerous if the storm had shifted slightly.
"God forbid the tornado would have touched down and cars started flipping over and blocking paths to get in and out," one driver told KFOR. "It would have just been a madhouse."
Amazon acknowledged the incident after the video circulated and said it had taken disciplinary action against the staff involved.
Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told NewsNation that the conduct seen in the video was "unacceptable."
"The health and safety of our employees and partners is our highest priority, and we take these matters very seriously," Stephenson said.
Amazon said the employees involved in the incident have been suspended pending an internal investigation. The company also said it was contacting drivers affected by the situation to apologize.
Stephenson added that Amazon is taking steps to ensure "nothing like this happens again."
The incident has also raised questions about the status of Amazon Flex drivers, who are classified as independent contractors rather than company employees. Flex drivers use their own vehicles to complete last-mile deliveries in Amazon's logistics network.
That classification affects workplace protections. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, federal safety enforcement typically applies only to employees, leaving gig-economy contractors in a more ambiguous legal position.
The classification has faced legal challenges in several states. Courts in Virginia and Wisconsin have previously ruled that Amazon Flex drivers should be considered employees for certain labor protections, while New Jersey's Department of Labor has argued that the company's classification practices violate state labor laws.
