Current:Home > MarketsAn industrial robot crushed a worker to death at a vegetable packing plant in South Korea -EquityExchange
An industrial robot crushed a worker to death at a vegetable packing plant in South Korea
View
Date:2025-04-13 09:29:06
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An industrial robot crushed a worker to death at a vegetable packaging plant in South Korea, police said Thursday, as they investigate whether the machine was unsafe or had potential defects.
According to police officials in the southern county of Goseong, the man died of head and chest injuries Tuesday after he was grabbed and pressed against a conveyor belt by the machine’s robotic arms. Police did not release his name but said the man was an employee of a company that installs industrial robots and was sent to the plant to examine whether the machine was working properly.
The machine was one of two pick-and-place robots used at the facility that packages bell peppers and other vegetables exported to other Asian countries, police said. Such machines are common in South Korea’s agricultural communities.
“It wasn’t an advanced, artificial intelligence-powered robot, but a machine that simply picks up boxes and puts them on pallets,” said Kang Jin-gi, who heads the investigations department at Gosong Police Station. He said the police were working with related agencies to determine whether the machine had technical defects or safety issues.
Another police official, who did not want to be named because he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters, said police were also looking into the possibility of human error. The robot’s sensors are designed to identify boxes, and security camera footage indicated the man had moved near the robot with a box in his hands, which likely triggered the machine’s reaction, the official said.
“It’s clearly not a case where a robot confused a human with a box – this wasn’t a very sophisticated machine,” he said.
South Korea has had other safety accidents involving industrial robots in recent years. In March, a manufacturing robot crushed and seriously injured a worker who was examining the machine at an auto parts factory in Gunsan. Last year, a robot installed near a conveyor belt fatally crushed a worker at a milk factory in Pyeongtaek.
veryGood! (3543)
Related
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- California school district changes gender-identity policy after being sued by state
- A dog on daylight saving time: 'I know when it's dinner time. Stop messing with me.'
- Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin Privately Got Engaged Years Ago
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Worst NFL trade ever? Here's where Russell Wilson swap, other disastrous deals went wrong
- Teen arrested after 4 children, 2 adults found dead at house in Canada: Tragic and complex investigation
- Barack Obama turned down a '3 Body Problem' cameo in the best way to 'GOT' creators
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Patrick Mahomes sent a congratulatory text. That's the power of Xavier Worthy's combine run
Ranking
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Unpacking the Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories Amid a Tangle of Royal News
- The Rock joining Roman Reigns for WrestleMania 40 match against Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins
- Want to invest in Taylor Swift and Beyoncé? Now you can.
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Tiger Woods won't play in the 2024 Players Championship
- What restaurants are open Easter 2024? McDonald's, Cracker Barrel, Red Lobster, more
- Pierce Brosnan says 'Oppenheimer' star Cillian Murphy would be 'magnificent' James Bond
Recommendation
Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
Music Review: Ariana Grande triumphs over heartbreak on seventh studio album, ‘eternal sunshine’
The number of suspects has grown to 7 in the fatal beating of a teen at an Arizona Halloween party
Hissing alligator that charged Georgia deputy spotted on drone video
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
What restaurants are open Easter 2024? McDonald's, Cracker Barrel, Red Lobster, more
Alabama woman set for a plea hearing months after police say she faked her own kidnapping
This 21-year-old Republican beat a 10-term incumbent. What’s next for Wyatt Gable?