A contractor was killed in a workplace accident at LG Energy Solution in Holland on July 27, The Sentinel confirmed. He was “clearly deceased” after becoming partially stuck in a machine, according to the Holland Department of Public Safety, and no lifesaving attempts were made.
In a statement, LG External Affairs/Government Relations Manager Philip Lienert confirmed there was “an incident resulting in the death of a contract company employee” at 875 E. 48th St.
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.”
HDPS identified the victim as Kim Jong Won., an employee of LG PRI, a vendor company working on the automation of machinery at LG.
The Sentinel has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Holland Police Department for the entire incident record.
It’s not the first time LG has run into safety issues in Holland.
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 Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Police: LG contractor was ‘clearly deceased’ after becoming stuck in machine
Reporting by Austin Metz, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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