Questions Regarding the Future of Workplace Safety Stem from Hyundai’s Megasite
- Ella Cool
- Nov 14, 2025
- 5 min read
At first glance, Hyundai’s 3,000-acre production facility in Central Georgia may not appear to be a dangerous construction site. Yet, the factory, which employs more than 500 individuals, has seen three deaths and more than a dozen severe injuries in its three years of operation. Numerous reports from the factory note an absence of employee training and necessary safety equipment. According to The Savannah Times, local emergency medical services responded to 91 calls to the megasite between January 2023 and August 2024—a shockingly large number of emergency calls in just 20 months.
The first death at the site occurred on April 29, 2023, when the victim’s safety harness lanyard was cut by the sharp edge of a structure, and the worker tragically fell three stories. Soon after the incident, Hyundai released a statement declaring, “The safety and security of everyone in our facility and at the construction site is our highest priority, and we have a full commitment to following Occupational Safety and Health policies.”
After nearly seven months of investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor published a press release stating, “The Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] determined Eastern Constructors Inc. failed to ensure workers were provided fall-arrest equipment that was appropriate for the work conditions and capable of resisting sharp edges, which exposed employees to fall hazards. The company also exposed employees to fall hazards by not taking worn and damaged fall-arrest systems out of service.” In addition, OSHA cited Eastern Constructors Inc. for two violations and proposed $160,724 in penalties, which were set by federal statute.
Images taken from safety reports show workers on the job without the necessary equipment. Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
Curiously, an article posted by TV station WSAV on November 16, 2023, quoted a spokesperson for the Hyundai megasite saying they were “in the process of closing out all jobs with Eastern Constructors and expect them to be complete by December.” And yet, nearly two years later, Eastern still appears to be present and in control of the job site.
Despite the alarming labor conditions and accidents, the Hyundai megasite was drawing only local coverage until the massive ICE raid that occurred on September 4 and took more than 400 employees. The megasite drew attention from the Department of Labor due to its unsafe conditions and continued casualties, which most likely led to the ICE raids by putting the site on the government’s radar and bringing it to the Department of Homeland Security’s attention.
The unsafe conditions and smaller, everyday accidents weren’t being reported because the undocumented workers who were working there were fearful of deportation. As a South Korean company, Hyundai is facing a major labor issue because the Trump administration has used the threat of tariffs to persuade it to put hundreds of billions of dollars into new American factories. However, now Hyundai can’t afford to pay for the skilled American workers necessary for these megasites, which is how it ended up with such a high population of immigrant workers who were willing to work for a small wage.
Additionally, there has been an issue with the administration limiting the number of work visas distributed for foreigners to do the job, as well as imposing a $100,000 fee on H-1B forms, which are non-immigrant visas allowing foreign workers to be hired by U.S. employers. The solution many of these companies, including Hyundai, have found is to rotate workers in and out of construction sites on short-term business or tourist visas, often skirting the law and creating an environment of fear that causes many employees to turn a blind eye when witnessing alarming and unsafe work conditions.
Earlier this year, a California oil refinery made headlines after it exploded. Over the last five years, the refinery received 46 notices from OSHA that it violated environmental safety rules, 13 of them in the last 12 months. However, after the explosion, it was unclear if OSHA would even come out to investigate the fire due to the then-ongoing government shutdown.
As day 20 of the government shutdown loomed, a reporter from the LA Times called OSHA to inquire about the refinery fire, but the message was sent straight to voicemail with a recording that said, “Due to a loss of funding, certain government activities have been suspended, and I’m unable to respond to your message at this time.” This poses a notable and alarming threat to workplace and employee safety without continued regulation and investigation from OSHA to keep organizations in line.
Even as OSHA returns to work and the government reopens, there is an underlying concern involving the Trump administration’s cuts to major federal regulation of workplace safety and environmental hazards. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which determines the root causes of dangerous chemical releases, was also paused during the government shutdown, but there are concerns it will lose its funding because of proposed budget cuts. In an interview with the LA Times, nearby California resident and president of the Coalition for Clean Air, Joe Lyou, stated, “The Trump administration has defunded the Chemical Safety Board, and the federal government is shut down right now. So there is a very good possibility we are never going to know what really caused this, because the experts in figuring this stuff out are no longer there to do that.”
Thankfully, there were no injuries or fatalities reported after the refinery fire, as it occurred overnight while employees were not present. However, it is well documented that regulation often emerges only in response to disaster rather than through preparation for potential risks. Although the refinery was fortunate this time, what happens when the next incident occurs while employees are on site?
The Trump administration continues to remove funding from major federal regulatory efforts, but investigation and regulation are still essential to keeping workers and worksites safe. While the administration may try to shift responsibility to state governments, this approach will face challenges, as many states lack the funding and resources needed for consistent oversight and inspection. Pressure from lobbying organizations may eventually push both state and federal governments to take workplace safety more seriously, but until then, accidents will continue to happen. It shouldn’t take repeated danger or the threat of fatalities for meaningful change to occur.
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