Reps. Keicher, Ugaste join state task force on warehouse safety prompted by 2021 deadly Amazon tornado

SYCAMORE – Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, recently appointed state Reps. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, and Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, to serve on the Warehouse Safety Standards Task Force.

The task force was created to improve safety and access to emergency resources following the collapse of an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville that was struck by a tornado in late 2021 that killed six people and left more injured.

Keicher, who serves the 70th District, also is an insurance agency through State Farm and has more than 25 years of experience that he said he plans to bring to the table.

“I want to thank Leader McCombie for this appointment. As our economy has shifted to increased reliance on warehouse facilities to manage the delivery of goods and services to consumers, we need to ensure these facilities have the right safety features and protocols in place to protect workers from worst-case scenarios. I look forward to utilizing my experience in the insurance industry to help the task force offer proposals that will improve safety standard,” Keicher said in a news release.

The tornado struck the Amazon warehouse Dec. 10, 2021. The building was heavily damaged despite having concrete walls 11 inches thick and built within “all applicable codes,” officials wrote in a news release sent by Keicher’s office Tuesday. The catastrophe demonstrated the need to evaluate warehouse safety and construction standards, as well as improve emergency policies and access to resources in the event of a natural disaster.

Ugaste, who serves the 65th District, is an attorney who specialized in workers compensation and business insurance litigation for more than 35 years, according to the release.

“I am honored to be appointed by Leader McCombie to this task force that will study and update safety standards. The safety of all warehouse workers is of the utmost importance. With severe weather-related events always a concern in Illinois, we must do everything we can to put the proper safeguards in place to prevent injuries or tragic loss of life,” Ugaste said in a news release.

The Warehouse Safety Standards Task Force consists of 16 members, half of which are members of the General Assembly. The other half includes individuals representing workers and businesses and is chaired by the director of the Illinois Department of Labor.

All members serve without compensation and are tasked with delivering a report of policy recommendations to the governor and the General Assembly no later than Jan. 1, 2025.