Amazon to resume this practice it suspended during Covid-19 pandemic

TOI Tech Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Apr 4, 2025, 22:22 IST

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Amazon announces a return of metal-detector screenings and a new personal phone registration system to enhance warehouse security in the US. The measures, suspended during the pandemic, aim to prevent theft but have previously caused delays and sparked controversy among workers.

Amazon to resume this practice it suspended during Covid-19 pandemic

Amazon is increasing the safety measures for its warehouses in the US.. As part of a theft-prevention drive, the e-commerce major is set to bring back metal-detector screenings at its warehouses and introduce a new personal phone registration system. Suspended during the pandemic, the metal screening will now resume, while workers will be required to register their devices by sharing the last six digits of the serial number and placing an identifying sticker on them.
Amazon has reportedly started testing its warehouse safety measures in a few locations as the company plans to extend this policy across all of its US facilities. The company claimed that these measures would help security personnel to quickly verify that personal phones of warehouse workers are not stolen, which will ultimately streamline the exit process and reinforce warehouse security.

What Amazon said about its warehouse security measures

In an emailed statement shared with Bloomberg, Amazon spokesman Steve Kelly said: “We’re always working to make our facilities more safe and secure for our employees and for companies of all sizes that put their trust in us to store their inventory. As one part of that, we’ve made the decision to restore some practices that we had suspended to support social distancing during the pandemic.�?br/>

Why Amazon warehouse workers may not be happy with these safety measures

Amazon's theft-prevention measures have long sparked controversy with over 750,000 US warehouse workers. The metal-detector screenings, once common practice before the pandemic, reportedly caused lengthy delays, with some workers waiting up to 25 minutes, leading to lawsuits over unpaid time.
In addition, the longstanding ban on mobile phones on warehouse floors has also been contentious, with rules relaxed during the pandemic for safety and family communication.
Despite plans to reinstate the phone ban in 2022, backlash intensified after a few tragic incidents. This highlights the ongoing tensions over workplace policies among Amazon’s warehouse workers.

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TOI Tech Desk

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