--- title: "An Amazon Warehouse Robot Sprayed 24 Workers With Bear Repellent" description: "A robot malfunctioned in a New Jersey Amazon warehouse and tore open a can of bear spray, sending 24 workers to the hospital." date: "2018-12-06" modified: "2018-12-06" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/amazon-warehouse-robot-bear-repellent" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "Amazon" - "automation" - "bear spray" --- # An Amazon Warehouse Robot Sprayed 24 Workers With Bear Repellent ![A robot malfunctioned in an a New Jersey Amazon warehouse and tore open a can of "bear spray," sending 24 workers to the hospital.]() *\Image: Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## Bear Market A robot malfunctioned in a New Jersey Amazon warehouse and tore open a can of bear spray, [sending 24 workers to the hospital]() on Wednesday. "Amazon's automated robots put humans in life-threatening danger today, the effects of which could be catastrophic and the long-term effects for 80 plus workers are unknown," Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, said in a scathing statement to *ABC News*. "The richest company in the world cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hard working people's lives at risk." ## Rise of the Robots Like pepper spray, bear spray is typically made out of extremely spicy peppers. Amazon sells [many types of the spray](), the regular purpose of which is to repel rampaging bears — but in the confines of the warehouse, it laid waste to two dozen Amazon workers. One worker was in critical condition after the accident in Robbinsville Township, a local official told *ABC* — but all workers were expected to be released from the hospital within 24 hours. ## Warehouse Blues Amazon, which has [caught flak]() for poor working conditions in its warehouses as it's grown into a global retail giant — though it did give its workers a substantial raise this year — immediately sprang into a defensive posture. "The safety of our employees is our top priority, and as such, all employees in that area have been relocated to safe place and employees experiencing symptoms are being treated onsite," an Amazon spokesperson told *ABC* in a statement. "As a precaution, some employees have been transported to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment." **READ MORE:** [24 Amazon Workers Sent to Hospital After Robot Accidentally Unleashes Bear Spray]() \[*ABC News*\] ***More on Amazon warehouse robots:*** [*You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: Amazon Warehouse Robots Slipped On Popcorn Butter*]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()