SAVANNAH ― An unsecured load fell off a forklift and killed a construction worker Tuesday at the electric vehicle battery plant jobsite adjacent to the Hyundai Metaplant along I-16 near Savannah, according to the Bryan County sheriff’s office.
The accident happened shortly before 11 a.m. at HL-GA Battery, a manufacturing facility to be operated by Hyundai and LG Energy Solutions. The facility, scheduled to open next year, will supply EV batteries to Hyundai’s recently opened auto plant.
The death is the second in two months at the battery plant worksite. On March 21, a man identified as Sunbok You was hit by a forklift and dragged 10 to 15 feet. His body was severed at the waist in the accident.
Authorities have yet to release the identity of the worker killed Tuesday. A Hyundai spokesman said the man was an employee of a subcontractor working on the construction project.
“The health and safety of everyone at our facilities and construction sites is our highest priority. Our direct employees as well as our subcontractors understand our commitment to safety and Occupational Industrial Safety and Health policies,” said Hyundai’s Michael Stewart, the automaker’s director of public relations and communications, in an emailed statement
“Together with the subcontractor and relevant authorities, we are fully supporting a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the incident and to help prevent such accidents in the future.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the individual’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.”
Credit: Courtesy Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America
Credit: Courtesy Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America
The massive Hyundai project has experienced other tragedies since construction began in late 2022, including another workplace fatality. A contractor, Victor Gamboa, fell to his death from a structure under construction at the Metaplant in April 2023.
Gamboa was wearing fall protection gear but his safety line sheared on the edge of a steel beam, resulting in him falling 60 feet to his death. The contractor that employed Gamboa, Eastern Constructors Inc., was cited for providing worn, damaged and inadequate safety gear by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which investigated the accident.
Other worksite incidents include a worker injured in a pipe explosion and a Korean-speaking technician who suffered a crushed chest, deformed hand and mangled leg in a conveyor belt accident.
Credit: Hyundai Motor Group
Credit: Hyundai Motor Group
Tuesday’s death is still being investigated. A preliminary report released by the Bryan County sheriff’s office stated the worker was killed as a forklift was loading a truck. The materials being loaded became unsecured and fell on the victim, who was on the ground nearby and unable to move out of the way.
Investigators said no foul play is suspected in the incident.
The EV manufacturing complex, the largest economic development project in state history, opened in October with limited auto production.
As part of a $2.1 billion state incentives package, Hyundai is committed to employing 8,500 workers on the $7.59 billion Metaplant manufacturing campus by 2031.
In addition to the 2,600-worker car assembly facility, the site includes a 3,000-employee EV battery factory to open in 2026, a state-run Georgia QuickStart training center, a logistics supplier and two major manufacturing partners.
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