Korean Firms in Georgia Fined Over Worker Death at Hyundai-LG Joint Plant in March

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), under the U.S. Department of Labor, announced on November 16 (local time) that it had imposed a total fine of $27,618 (approximately 40.2 million won) on three Korean-affiliated companies in connection with the death of a worker at the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant (HL-GA) in Georgia last March.

According to the OSHA report, on March 21, a Korean national surnamed Yoo was killed after being run over by a forklift while working at the construction site of the plant in Georgia, United States.

OSHA report capture.

OSHA imposed a fine of $16,550 on Beyond Iron Construction, a subcontractor that employed the forklift operator, stating that the company committed a serious violation by operating heavy equipment at excessive speed without sounding an alarm, resulting in a collision with the worker.

SBY America, which employed the deceased worker Yoo, was fined $9,268 for failing to maintain a safe work environment in areas where heavy equipment was used.

HL-Georgia Battery, the primary contractor, was fined $1,125 for failing to submit reports on worker injury incidents at the site to the Department of Labor over the past two years.

The Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint venture plant, where the fatal accident occurred, is located within the Hyundai Motor America Metaplant complex. This is also the site where a large-scale arrest and detention of Korean nationals by U.S. immigration authorities took place on September 4. OSHA decided to impose fines on September 12, shortly after the detained Korean workers returned home and the situation was temporarily resolved, but the announcement was only recently published on its website.

Previously, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported last month that since the start of construction in 2022, a total of three construction workers, including Yoo, had died at the site. The WSJ also revealed that OSHA had received reports of injuries to 11 people at the Hyundai Motor Metaplant complex last year.

Local media believe that the series of worker accidents and ongoing reports of alleged illegal activities by labor organizations may have prompted the immigration authorities' site inspection in September.