The independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission affirmed citations totaling $1.3 million against an auto parts manufacturer in Alabama over the 2016 death of a temporary worker. The US Department of Labor announced the decision March 9.
OSHA had cited Joon LLC — which operates as Ajin USA — for 51 safety violations, including 48 willful violations. Joon contested the OSHA citations, but an administrative law judge upheld the majority of the violations that OSHA issued in a decision on Feb. 10.
The citations followed investigations at Joon’s plant in Cusseta, Alabama, after a 20-year-old female machine operator died in June 2016. The worker and three others had entered a robotic cell on the assembly line to clear a sensor fault when a robot inside the cell restarted abruptly, crushing the worker.
The worker was employed by staffing provider Alliance HR Inc. The staffing firm also received penalties [1] from OSHA.
Joon’s penalties include a $500,000 fine and $1 million in restitution to the deceased woman’s estate.