A 42-year-old woman who collapsed in May while working at a LaGrange auto parts factory cited for numerous safety violations, died of natural causes, the state’s medical examiner’s office has determined.
Teresa Pickard, who worked the weld line at the Sewon America plant, “died of a heart attack due to her high blood pressure,” the autopsy by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation concluded. The report also listed diabetes and obesity as contributing factors.
Sewon, through an attorney, said Tuesday it was “not appropriate” for the company to comment on the autopsy report. Robert Bruner, a lawyer representing Pickard’s family, said his investigation into the death continues.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched an investigation the day after Pickard’s May 29th death. The agency had received complaints of excessive heat inside the factory, which makes chassis and other components for Kia and Hyundai.
An OSHA spokesman declined comment Tuesday, but said the investigation is ongoing.
Sewon, which is Kia's largest supplier, has been repeatedly investigated and fined for workplace safety violations. The inquiry into Pickard's death is one of nine workplace safety investigations undertaken by OSHA in the last four years.
Sewon has been cited for 21 violations — exposing workers to arc welding sparks and electrical hazards, failing to provide proper equipment — since opening in 2008. OSHA has fined Sewon nearly $136,000 for the violations, though many of the fines were reduced upon appeal.
Sewon, in a statement after Pickard’s death, said the company “has always been and remains committed to the health and safety of its employees.”
