Crest Hill manufacturing Company Says They’re Devastated By Death Of Warehouse Worker
The plant manager of a Crest Hill manufacturing facility has issued a statement following the workplace death of a worker. Rich Products General Manager Dale Sickman released this statement following the death of Wale Ogunyemi.
“We are devastated by the tragedy that occurred in our Crest Hill manufacturing facility and are heartbroken for Wale Ogunyemi and his family. Safety has been and continues to be our top priority at Rich Products – not only here in Crest Hill, but throughout our global company with more than 40 manufacturing sites and 11,500 associates around the world. We work every day to make certain those associates are trained and follow proper safety protocols and procedures so they, and those around them, are safe.
Like most organizations, we strive to improve our operations day in and day out, which will be beneficial to all our constituents – our associates, our customers, our suppliers – over both the short and long term. We are working hard to maintain and reinforce a culture of safety in our facility so that all of our associates can thrive and grow with us.”
Ogunyemi was a sanitation worker at Rick Products and was killed on the job in a workplace accident. On Tuesday, Warehouse for Justice issued a press release regarding Ogunyemi’s death. Read the full release below:
A local warehouse worker was killed at Rich Productions on July 20th after an accident at the facility. The local warehouse has had several serious OSHA violations in the past including ‘Locking and Tagging’ violations and an accident where there was an amputee.
“Warehouse Workers for Justice are heartbroken to find out about the recent loss of a warehouse worker and community member, Wale Ogunyemi. Wale worked as a sanitation worker at Rich Products Corporation in Crest Hill, Illinois, where he was killed on the job in a senseless workplace accident. Unfortunately, Wale’s death was not the first at the facility. In 2016 and 2017, two workers died at the same Rich Products Crest Hill facility.
Rich Products Corporation has proved itself to be a repeat violator of workplace health and safety protections, failing to implement proper safety precautions that resulted in at least one amputation. Per Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) 300 logs obtained by Warehouse Workers for Justice, there have been at least 51 serious injuries at the facility since 2016 and on July 21, OSHA, opened an investigation into Wale’s death.
Warehouse Workers for Justice is troubled to see that a local warehouse could be allowed to continue conducting its business in a way that puts its employees at risk of tragic outcomes like what we saw here last week. In light of this tragedy, we stand in solidarity with the community and are committed to seeking accountability for the willfully negligent employer whose inaction and disregard for workplace safety have created the conditions for this terrible accident.
Warehouse Workers for Justice Press Release