Automotive supplier fined $315K by OSHA after worker is crushed to death
An OSHA investigation has determined that Faurecia Emissions Control Systems NA LLC could have prevented a 26-year-old employee from dying if the company had installed machine guarding. The incident occurred in October 2023 when the worker was placing cardboard under a machine that bends vehicle exhaust pipes and was crushed to death.
The company, which Is owned by Faurecia North America, a large automotive supplier, faces 10 instance-by-instance citations. These citations include failing to train employees on lockout/tagout processes, not having proper machine guarding, and exposing machine operators to struck-by and caught-between hazards. The company was cited for similar violations in 2022. Faurecia Emissions Control Systems faces $314,555 in proposed penalties.
What people are saying
In a recent quote, OSHA Area Director Ken Montgomery said, “Faurecia Emissions Control Systems could have prevented this tragedy by having proper machine guarding that would have protected employees from contact with moving machine parts. Safety requirements are just that, required. This company failed in its legal responsibility to ensure workers were protected from workplace hazards.”
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About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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