Warehouse safety bill that followed the deadly Edwardsville tornado is now law

St. Louis Public Radio | By Will Bauer

Published August 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT

Workers attempt to clear debris as part of a search and rescue operation in December 2021 at an Amazon Distribution Hub in Edwardsville. Violent storms, some producing tornadic activity, ripped through the Midwest, killing six people in the Metro East.

The warehouse safety bill that stemmed from the deadly Edwardsville tornado in 2021 is now officially on the books.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker recently signed the Warehouse Safety Tornado Preparedness Act, among more than 200 other bills, into law.

The new requirements are the product of a task force state lawmakers created the following year to study possible legislative solutions after an EF3 tornado tore through half of an Amazon warehouse, killing six employees.

The law now mandates all warehouse operators prepare a tornado safety plan, requires new warehouses contain a designated refuge area as a form of shelter and dictates that city and county building inspectors hold a certification from the International Code Council.

Warehouse operators will have 120 days to create their tornado plans for existing facilities or a week after a new warehouse becomes operational. The change to certificate requirements will not be enforced until Jan. 1, 2027.

The law passed both the Illinois House and Senate with bipartisan support toward the end of the legislative session in May.

Prior to the legislature debating the bill, one of the biggest qualms with shaping the legislation came from those concerned that too many requirements on warehouses could drive away business.

“We appreciate that the legislation addresses important safety concerns without imposing undue burdens on businesses,” said Alec Laird with the Illinois Retails Merchants Association in a statement.

The family of Clayton Cope, one of the six Amazon employees killed by the tornado, previously called the bill “a wonderful step forward."

Illinois Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, who largely authored the legislation, has said the new law does not have to be the end of the conversation regarding warehouse safety.

“Keeping workers safe from foreseeable hazards so they can return home to their families and loved ones at the end of every shift is important,” Stuart said in a statement after the governor signed the bill. “That’s why I’ve worked nonstop since the tragedy that impacted our community to ensure that warehouses are doing more to protect their workers in weather emergencies like tornadoes.”