The mother of an Alabama woman crushed to death by a robotic machine in June has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Cusseta, Ala. automotive supplier where she worked and a staffing agency.

Regina Allen Elsea, 20, of Five Points, Ala., was employed at the Ajin USA manufacturing facility, which makes parts for Hyundai and Kia. On June 8, Ms. Elsea and three coworkers were sent to reactivate a robotics machine that had become jammed. The machine abruptly restarted during the cleaning process with Ms. Elsea inside the operation zone.

Ms. Elsea was taken to East Alabama Medical Center and later flown to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where she later died of the injuries she sustained in the Ajin accident. Her death occurred just a couple weeks before she was to be married.

“Unfortunately, thousands of workers are injured or die each year due to improperly guarded industrial machinery and employers’ indifference to safety,” said Beasley Allen lawyer Kendall Dunson, who is representing Ms. Elsea’s mother, Angel Ogle.

“Simply put, the incident that took the life of Regina Elsea was preventable. OSHA’s investigation and official reports regarding the conduct of the Defendants responsible for Ms. Elsea’s death reveal a pattern and practice of disregarding OSHA’s safety regulations,” Mr. Dunson added.

On Dec. 14, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it proposed penalties of $2.5 million against Ajin USA, Joynus Staffing Corp., and Alliance HR following Ms. Elsea’s fatal accident. The fines OSHA proposed were in connection to several serious safety violations found inside the plant, including failure to use energy control procedures to prevent machinery from powering on during maintenance and cleaning and exposing workers to crushing and amputation hazards with improperly guarded machinery.

OSHA also placed Ajin USA in its Severe Violators Enforcement Program, which focuses regulatory efforts obstinate employers that endanger workers with lax safety standards and noncompliance with federal safety rules.

“This senseless tragedy could have been prevented if Regina Elsea’s employers had followed proper safety precautions,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health. “In addition, it is unfortunate that Hyundai and Kia, who set strict specifications on the parts they purchase from their suppliers, appear to be less concerned with the safety of the workers who manufacture those parts.”

Sources:

Beasley Allen

Righting Injustice

Occupational Safety and Health Administration