EV Battery Maker Probed after Worker Suffers Burns

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has an open investigation into the EV and storage battery maker Gotion Illinois’ plant in Manteno after a worker was hospitalized with burns Sept. 28.
The Manteno Fire Protection District was called to the plant just before midnight and took the worker to Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee. The worker was later transferred to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, which specializes in burn trauma care.
Gotion spokesman Andrew Wheeler said the incident involved one person, that the company self-reported it to OSHA and that it will not release details while the investigation continues. The plant employs nearly 600 people.
Gotion is contesting two fines OSHA issued in March: $13,240 for not properly training forklift operators after a worker was struck on the shin by a forklift in January, and $1,891 for failing to report a December 2025 wasp sting within seven days. The company contested both in June and is awaiting a resolution.

Activists campaigning for workplace safety in South Korea’s semiconductor industry called on the government Oct. 7 to recognize the cancer diagnoses of three former SK hynix employees as work-related illnesses, in claims before the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service. An agency representative said it would process the cases as fast as possible, but an epidemiological investigation is needed and a decision could take around a year.
The group Supporters for the Health and Rights of People in the Semiconductor Industry said chemicals classified as carcinogens, including nickel and its compounds, are being used at SK hynix despite appearing on the company’s own list of prohibited chemicals, citing data the company reported to the environment ministry.
Kim Yong-il, whose wife, Yoon Young-mi, worked at SK hynix’s Icheon plant from 1996, was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and died in April, asked the agency to recognize her breast cancer as work-related.
Linking semiconductor work to certain cancers can be contentious, and research is inconclusive. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says fabrication and assembly plant workers can face exposure to solvents, acids, toxic metals and chemical gases. In 2018, Samsung Electronics apologized to workers who developed cancer and paid 150 million won per case, about $130,000 at the time, after a decade-long dispute.

Two-thirds of construction and civil engineering workers surveyed for the Dräger Safety and Health at Work Report 2026 said current economic uncertainty makes it harder for people in their business to stay focused on safety-critical tasks. Nearly half reported an increased risk of safety mistakes or near misses over the past two years.
Employers say they engage staff on safety: 80% said their organization actively involves employees, and 79% said open communication channels exist. But 46% said the economic climate affects their willingness to raise concerns, and 51% said employees who speak up are viewed negatively.
Respondents placed the most trust in themselves for their own safety (92%), followed by safety technology (87%) and their employer (79%). Only 22% trust the government, and 20% believe artificial intelligence will keep them safe, the lowest levels among all industries surveyed.
While 59% of the sector sees respiratory risks such as dust, fumes and asbestos as a priority, only 35% see psychological safety as one. On drugs and alcohol, 87% said substances can affect workplace safety, and 81% would agree to random testing by their employer.