The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued 23 citations to an Alabama auto parts supplier to Hyundai and Kia — and two each to its two staffing providers — for safety violations after a woman was crushed to death by a robotic machine at a Cusseta, Ala., facility.

Joon LLC, (dba Ajin USA), Alliance Total Solutions and Joynus Staffing Corp. collectively face $2,565,621 in penalties for the federal safety and health violations, including $24,924 each for the staffing firms.

Regina Allen Elsea died June 18 when the assembly line stopped and she and three of her co-workers entered a robotic station to clear a sensor fault. The robot restarted abruptly, crushing the woman inside the machine.

The agency issued Joon LLC, of Cusseta, Ala., citations for 23 willful, serious and other-than-serious violations, including 19 egregious instance-by-instance willful violations.

The agency issued the two serious citations to Alliance and Joynus for failing to utilize specific safety procedures to control potentially hazardous stored energy during maintenance and servicing and not providing or ensuring employees had locks to properly shutdown machinery. Alliance and Joynus, both based in Opelika, Ala., provide approximately 250 temporary employees to Ajin USA. Elsea was hired to work at Ajin through Alliance Total Solutions.

“This was a preventable incident — Ajin USA only had to ensure that proper safety measures were followed to de-energize the robot before the workers entered the station,” said Kurt Petermeyer, OSHA's regional administrator in Atlanta. “Incidents like this one are not isolated and that is why OSHA has developed and implemented its Regional Emphasis Program on Safety Hazards in the Auto Parts Industry.”

Based in Korea, Ajin USA, is a global auto parts supplier with plants in South Korea, China, Vietnam and the US. It employs approximately 700 workers at the Cusseta facility. Alliance Total Solutions is a staffing agency with branches in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee with more than 4,000 employees. Joynus Staffing Corp. has offices in Georgia and employs over 600 workers.

Each company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to respond.