The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under the U.S. Department of Labor issued a report stating that Korean companies committed a 'serious violation' in connection with the death of a Korean national at the Hyundai-LG joint venture plant in Georgia. Captured from an OSHA report.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under the U.S. Department of Labor announced on the 16th (local time) that it has fined three Korean companies a total of $27,618 (approximately 40 million Korean won) in connection with the worker fatality that occurred in March at the Hyundai-LG joint venture battery plant in Georgia.

According to the OSHA report, on March 21st, a Korean national, identified as Yoo, died while working at the construction site of the Hyundai-LG Energy Solution battery joint venture plant in Georgia, USA, after being run over by a forklift.

OSHA fined the subcontractor "Beyond Iron Construction," which hired the forklift operator, $16,550 (approximately 24 million Korean won) for committing a "serious violation by operating heavy equipment at excessive speed and colliding with a worker without sounding an alarm." "SBY America," which hired the deceased worker Yoo, was fined $9,268 (approximately 13 million Korean won) for "failing to maintain a safe workplace for heavy equipment operations."

The main contractor, "HL-Georgia Battery," was fined $1,125 (approximately 1.6 million Korean won) for failing to submit reports of worker injury accidents that occurred at the site to the Department of Labor over the past two years.

The Hyundai-LG Energy Solution battery joint venture plant, where the fatal accident occurred, is located within the Hyundai Motor Group's Metaplant America complex, the site of a large-scale arrest of Korean nationals by U.S. immigration authorities on September 4th. OSHA's decision to impose fines was made on September 12th, shortly after the Korean nationals' arrests were largely resolved with the repatriation of most detained workers, but it was recently publicized on the OSHA website.

Earlier last month, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that a total of three construction workers, including Yoo, had died since the plant's construction began in 2022. The WSJ also reported that OSHA had received reports of 11 injury accidents at the Hyundai Metaplant America complex site in 2024.

Local media outlets believe that the series of worker deaths and injuries, along with continuous reports of alleged illegal activities at the construction site by labor organizations, likely served as the catalyst for the immigration authorities' site inspection in September.

Hyundai-LG Energy Solution Battery Plant Construction Site. Yonhap News. Yonhap News