The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, has fined Korean company Hanwha Qcells $20,522 (approximately 30 million won) in connection with a fatal accident at its solar panel manufacturing plant in Cartersville, Georgia, local media outlet WBHF reported Sunday.
According to OSHA and police reports, Marion Jose Lugama, 33, was found dead inside a large tank at the plant on the evening of May 19. Two Korean workers identified as site supervisors stated that they discovered the victim collapsed on top of the tank and reported the incident only after he failed to return to the office past the 6 p.m. end of shift. Lugama was left unattended at the worksite for up to two hours after the accident occurred, and the oxygen concentration above the tank where his body was found measured 15%. The Bartow County Coroner's Office concluded that Lugama died of asphyxiation caused by gas leakage and oxygen deficiency.
OSHA imposed the fine on Hyungwon E&C America, the subcontractor that employed Lugama, citing worker asphyxiation due to carbon dioxide exposure and inadequate safety training regarding oxygen-deficient conditions. The cited company has 15 days to pay the fine or file an appeal.
Hanwha Qcells operates plants in Dalton and Cartersville, Georgia, as part of its integrated solar production complex known as "Solar Hub." In November, the company placed 1,000 workers at both plants on unpaid leave and laid off 300 staffing agency employees due to supply chain issues.
OSHA previously fined three Korean companies in Georgia a total of $27,618 (approximately 40 million won) on December 16. That action was related to the death of a Korean worker at a Hyundai Motor-LG joint venture plant in Georgia in March.
According to OSHA, a Korean worker surnamed Yu was killed on March 21 when he was struck by a forklift at the plant's construction site in Georgia. OSHA cited subcontractor Beyond Iron Construction, which employed the forklift operator, for serious violations including operating heavy equipment at excessive speed without sounding an alarm and colliding with the worker. A total of three fatal accidents have occurred at the plant since 2023, including this incident.
Local media reported that heightened local residents' attention to the series of worker deaths and injuries may have been connected to a large-scale immigration enforcement operation targeting Korean workers by U.S. immigration authorities in September.
