WarehouseLife, a workers' rights organization, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor, seeking access to records related to the deaths of three Amazon workers in New Jersey warehouses during the summer of 2022. The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Tuesday, aims to compel the release of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) documents, including inspector notes, photos, interviews, and reports about the fatalities.

The deaths occurred within a three-week span:

  • Rafael Reynaldo Mota Frias died on July 13 at the Carteret fulfillment center during one of Amazon’s busiest sales days.
  • Rodger Boland died on July 24 after a head injury caused by a fall from a three-foot ladder at the Robbinsville warehouse.
  • Eric Vadinsky died on August 4 at a delivery facility in Monroe.

WarehouseLife organizer Daniel Schlademan submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on August 14, 2022, for detailed records on the incidents. The lawsuit accuses Amazon’s warehouses of being "notoriously hazardous" and aims to increase transparency regarding workplace safety in the company’s facilities. Amazon and the Department of Labor have not yet commented on the litigation.