Workplace Fatality at Rivian Warehouse Under Investigation by OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched an investigation into the death of a worker at a Rivian warehouse in Illinois earlier this week, the federal agency said on Friday. According to OSHA, the investigation could take up to 6 months to complete.

Local authorities identified the worker as 61-year-old Kevin Lancaster. He reportedly died from “blunt traumatic compressional injuries” after becoming pinned between a tractor-trailer and a loading dock at the warehouse, which sits only a few miles from Rivian’s factory.

According to a local news report, Lancaster remained trapped in that position for about 20 minutes on Thursday before firefighters reached him. Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene at 1:40 p.m. local time, and Lancaster was later pronounced dead at a local medical centre at 2:33 p.m. local time. The Normal Police Department and the McLean County Coroner are both still investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, the report said.

“Safety at our facilities is our top priority. Unfortunately, yesterday afternoon, a contractor passed away after an incident at our warehouse,” Rivian said in a statement. “Our sympathy and thoughts are with their family and friends. We are working with the Normal Police Department on its investigation.”

Safety conditions at Rivian’s factory in Normal, Illinois, came under increased scrutiny in 2024 after a Bloomberg News report detailing 16 “serious” violations issued against the company over the previous year and that year.

At the same time, automotive manufacturing plants are widely known to be hazardous workplaces, and Rivian has received only one violation at its Illinois manufacturing site since that report was published. OSHA also told Bloomberg at the time that Rivian “has improved their safety and health team and aisvery cooperative with the OSHA process.”

Rivian builds its flagship R1 pickup, R1 SUV, and its commercial electric delivery van, known as the EDV, at its 4.3 million-square-foot factory in Normal. The company is also expanding the facility by another 1.1 million square feet to support production of its next electric vehicle, the R2. Once that expansion is finished, the plant will have the capacity to assemble 215,000 vehicles.