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CUSSETA, Ala. (WTVM) - An auto parts manufacturing company involved in a lawsuit following the accidental death of one of their employees is now being ordered to pay more than $1,000,000.
Ajin USA pleaded guilty to willful violation of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, which caused the death of one of their east Alabama machinery operators, 20-year-old Regina Elsea.
In June 2016, Elsea entered an enclosure, called a cell, at the Chambers County facility that contained several robots and pieces of machinery to troubleshoot a fault with one of the sensors. While inside, one of the machines started up and struck Elsea with a robotic arm. She later died from her injuries.
The OSH Act requires employers undertake measures to de-energize machinery during service to make sure that unplanned startups like the one that killed Elsea do not happen.
Ajin USA had these types of measures developed and implemented, but did not enforce them effectively for a period of at least two years.
In the 15 minutes prior to Elsea’s injury, workers entered cells to troubleshoot machinery without undertaking the proper safety measures in front of their supervisors at least five times. The supervisors did not stop or reprimand any of the workers. Two supervisors also entered a cell without following safety procedures in the same time period.
Multiple people were inside the cell with Elsea at the time of the accident. None of them followed proper procedures.
Following Ajin USA’s guilty plea, they were ordered to pay a $500,000 fine, which was the maximum, and pay $1,000,000 in restitution to Elsea’s estate.
