North Andover firefighters have responded to 71 emergency calls at the town's Amazon distribution center in 2026, Deputy Fire Chief Graham Rowe told the Boston Globe, which first reported the call data on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Sixty-two of those calls were for emergency medical services. The facility also had a conveyor belt fire, though workers evacuated safely, Fire Chief John Weir told the Globe.
The $400 million warehouse opened in January 2024. At 3.8 million square feet, it is the largest Amazon facility in Massachusetts, operating in a town of about 32,000 residents.
Weir said the call volume has not overwhelmed his department. "To be honest with you, we have not had a problem yet," he said.
The 71 calls work out to fewer than two per week. That pace is well below a comparable Amazon facility in Johnston, R.I., which has generated roughly 200 emergency responses since opening in July 2025, averaging about three calls per week, the Globe reported.
Johnston Fire Chief Keith Calci told the Globe that rescue crews hear from workers who say they come to work sick because they fear being fired if they call out. The Globe did not report similar complaints from North Andover workers.
Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson said thousands of people work at the North Andover site and that most calls involved personal health matters, not workplace injuries. Stephenson said the company encourages employees to call 911 whenever they feel it is necessary. Amazon provides 40 hours of paid flexible time for part-time workers and up to 48 hours for full-time employees, which includes sick leave, Stephenson said.
The company said it has invested more than $2.5 billion since 2019 on safety improvements, including ergonomic upgrades and training, and that its incident rate has improved 43 percent.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Amazon warehouses nationally for unsafe working conditions. The Globe's count of 71 calls in North Andover did not specify a cutoff date; Johnston's tally ran through Sept. 26.
