A tragic incident occurred at a vegetable packaging plant in South Korea, where an industrial robot claimed the life of a worker, according to police reports on Thursday. The investigation is focused on determining whether the machine posed safety risks or had potential defects.
The victim, whose name was not disclosed, succumbed to head and chest injuries on Tuesday after being seized and pressed against a conveyor belt by the robotic arms of the machine. The deceased was an employee of a company specializing in industrial robot installations, dispatched to assess the machine’s functionality at the plant.
The facility utilized two pick-and-place robots for packaging bell peppers and other vegetables destined for export to Asian countries. Although not an advanced, artificial intelligence-powered robot, the machine’s primary function was to handle boxes and place them on pallets, as explained by Kang Jin-gi, head of the investigations department at Gosong Police Station. Authorities are collaborating with relevant agencies to ascertain whether technical defects or safety issues were involved.
While the robot’s sensors are designed to identify boxes, a police official suggested that human error might also be considered. The victim, captured on security camera footage, appeared to be in close proximity to the robot with a box in hand, potentially triggering the machine’s response. The official emphasized that it was not a case of the robot mistaking a human for a box, noting the machine’s lack of sophistication.
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South Korea has witnessed other safety incidents involving industrial robots in recent years, including a March incident where a manufacturing robot caused serious injuries to a worker examining it at an auto parts factory in Gunsan. Additionally, in the previous year, a robot near a conveyor belt fatally crushed a worker at a milk factory in Pyeongtaek.