SK Battery America Inc., an electric battery manufacturer based in Commerce, Georgia, is facing $77,000 in fines for exposing its approximately 3,100 employees to serious safety and health hazards. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) revealed that a lithium battery fire in October 2023 could have exposed workers to permanent respiratory damage.

According to a DOL news release, SK Battery America failed to adequately train its workers on how to protect themselves against toxins, resulting in numerous injuries. The company is a subsidiary of the Seoul-based SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate with operations spanning the energy, advanced materials, biopharmaceuticals and digital industries.

Joshua Turner, OSHA Area Office Director in Atlanta-East, expressed his concern over the company's repeated violations. "On multiple occasions in less than a year, we have found SK Battery America failing in their responsibility to meet required federal standards designed to help every worker end their shift safely," said Turner. He emphasized that while emerging industries bring innovation and employment opportunities to communities, they must also prioritize employee safety. "When employers fail to provide safe and healthful workplaces," Turner added, "OSHA will hold them accountable."

The news release indicated that SK Battery was found guilty of five serious violations. These included failure to annually fit-test workers required to use tight-fitting facepiece respirators; lack of training for workers on hazardous chemicals present in their work areas; exposure of workers to inhalation hazards such as hydrofluoric acid vapors produced during lithium battery fires; and failure to ensure that their staffing agency made employees aware of the hazards associated with lithium battery fires.