The Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation into the death of a worker at a Rivian, Illinois, warehouse this week, the federal agency told TechCrunch on Friday. The agency said the investigation could take up to six months.
The man, identified by local authorities as 61-year-old Kevin Lancaster, reportedly died of “blunt traumatic pressure injuries” after becoming wedged between a tractor-trailer and a loading dock at the facility, just a few miles from the Rivian plant.
Lancaster was trapped there for about 20 minutes Thursday before firefighters arrived, according to a local news outlet. Emergency services responded to the call at 1:40pm local time, and Mr Lancaster was pronounced dead at a local medical center at 2:33pm local time. The General Police Department and the McLean County Coroner are still investigating Lancaster’s death, the report said.
“The safety of our facilities is our top priority. Unfortunately, a contractor passed away after an accident at our warehouse yesterday afternoon,” Rivian said in a statement to TechCrunch. “Our thoughts and sympathies go out to their families and friends. We are working with the Constabulary on the investigation.”
Safety at Rivian’s plant in Normal, Illinois, came under intense scrutiny in 2024 after a Bloomberg News report detailed 16 “serious” violations levied against the company that year and the year before.
But auto factories are notoriously unsafe, and Rivian has only received one violation at its Illinois manufacturing facility since the report was released. OSHA even told Bloomberg at the time that Rivian “has improved its safety and health team and is very cooperative with OSHA’s processes.”
Rivian assembles its flagship R1 pickup truck, R1 SUV, and commercial electric van known as the EDV at its 4.3 million square foot factory in Normal. The company is expanding by an additional 1.1 million square feet to make room for its next EV, the R2. Once completed, the plant will have the capacity to assemble 215,000 vehicles.
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This story has been updated with comment from Rivian.
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