Less than two months after the last, there’s been another incident at LG Energy Solution — this time a chemical spill.
According to a press release, the Holland Department of Public Safety responded to a hazardous materials incident at 875 E. 48th St. in the afternoon hours of Sept. 6.
HDPS confirmed the chemical spill, initiated hazardous materials protocol and secured employees and the surrounding areas. Police didn’t specify what chemical was involved, nor how much was spilled.
Fifteen people were taken to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment. According to HDPS, no life-threatening injuries were immediately reported.
The spill was contained on-site and there was no threat to the public, according to the release.
The incident comes less than two months after a contractor became partially stuck in a machine at LG Energy Solution.
Kim Jong Won, 34, was an employee of LG PRI, a vendor company working on the automation of machinery at LG. According to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Won was installing and setting up a machine at LG when the machine activated.
Records from MIOSHA and a report from HDPS indicate Won’s head and neck were crushed between a frame and lifting mechanism.
According to HDPS, Won was “clearly deceased” upon responders’ arrival, and no lifesaving attempts were made.
The resulting police report, which The Sentinel obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, indicated Won was wearing a safety helmet at the time of the incident.
In a previous statement, LG External Affairs/Government Relations Manager Philip Lienert said the company expresses their “deepest condolences” to the contractor’s family, friends and colleagues while reiterating that, despite the incident, safety is paramount to the company.
“Safety remains our highest priority, and new equipment setup on that section of the line has been suspended immediately until safety is ensured,” Lienert wrote via email. “We are fully supporting an investigation of the incident. While (it’s) ongoing and out of respect for the next of kin, we are not disclosing any additional details at present.”
The Sentinel filed a request for all incident reports at LG in Holland over the past decade. According to HDPS, there have been four others dating back to 2015.
According to records from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, LG received seven citations in April 2024 for alleged violations following a separate fatal incident in September 2023.
The records included two “willful” violations, which each drew $70,000 penalties, involving lockout/tagout, which covers the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment in which “the unexpected energization or start up of the machines or equipment, or release of stored energy, could cause injury to employees.”
A willful violation is the most serious category a company can be cited for by OSHA. It means the employer either knowingly failed to comply with requirements or “acted with plain indifference” to employee safety.
The five other citations were “serious,” carrying a $7,000 fine each. Four were ultimately reduced to $3,500. In a statement at the time of the violations, LG reiterated employee safety is a “top priority.”
A search of OSHA’s database showed a total of 24 cases dating as far back as 2017.
— Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: 15 transported to hospital after chemical spill at LG in Holland
Reporting by Tess Ware, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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