Online retail giant Amazon has offered its thanks to local and national key workers during the current crisis by lighting up its Fife fulfilment centre with a rainbow.
The side of the massive Dunfermline complex has been transformed into a colourful spectacle, with rainbow projections being lit up every evening for the next three weeks.
The company has been criticised by some for a perceived failing in protecting its staff, with the GMB union claiming staff are “petrified” of contracting COVID-19 after being left in crowds of between 200 and 300 people and having to reuse equipment multiple times without hand sanitiser being available.
Amazon workers in Fife ‘petrified’ of contracting coronavirus, union says
However, Amazon says it remains committed to the health and safety of employees, partners and its customers in these unprecedented times.
Dave Clark, senior vice president of worldwide operations at Amazon, said: “Amazon associates and partners working in our operations network are among the many heroes of the COVID-19 crisis.
“Whether it’s fulfilling orders in one of our fulfilment centres, delivering an order to a customer’s doorstep, or one of the many roles in between, we couldn’t be more proud of the critical role our teams are serving by enabling people to stay safe at home while receiving the products they need.
“Nothing is more important to us than making sure that we protect the health of our teams, and we’ve been working around the clock since the early days of the outbreak to make changes to our processes and procure the necessary supplies for this.”
With guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Amazon says it has also made 150 significant process changes to ensure health and safety.
Those include social distancing at workstations and during meetings, lockers in fulfilment centres being moved further apart, and break rooms reorganised to facilitate social distancing.
Hundreds of employees are also being temperature checks at its facilities across the US and Europe, while the frequency and intensity of cleaning at all sites, including regular sanitisation of door handles, handrails, touch screens and scanners has been stepped up.
