The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into the death of a worker at a Rivian warehouse in Illinois. The federal agency confirmed the probe on Friday, stating it could take up to six months.
Local authorities identified the worker as 61-year-old Kevin Lancaster. Reports indicate he died from blunt traumatic compressional injuries after being pinned between a tractor trailer and a loading dock at the facility, which is located just a few miles from Rivian’s main factory.
According to one local news report, Lancaster was trapped for approximately twenty minutes on Thursday before firefighters could reach him. Emergency crews responded to a call at 1:40 p.m. local time. Lancaster was later pronounced dead at a local medical center at 2:33 p.m. The Normal Police Department and the McLean County Coroner are continuing their own investigations into his death.
Rivian provided a statement on the incident, saying, “Safety at our facilities is our top priority. Unfortunately yesterday afternoon, a contractor passed away after an incident at our warehouse. Our sympathy and thoughts are with their family and friends. We are working with the Normal Police Department on its investigation.”
Safety at Rivian’s factory in Normal, Illinois, faced scrutiny in 2024 following a report that detailed sixteen serious safety violations levied against the company across that year and the prior one. Automotive factories are notoriously dangerous workplaces. However, Rivian has received just one violation at the Illinois manufacturing plant since that report was published. OSHA noted at the time that Rivian had improved its safety and health team and was being very cooperative with the OSHA process.
Rivian assembles its flagship R1 pickup truck, R1 SUV, and commercial electric van, known as the EDV, at its 4.3-million-square-foot factory in Normal. The company is expanding the facility by another 1.1 million square feet to make room for its next electric vehicle, the R2. Once complete, the factory will have the capacity to assemble 215,000 vehicles annually.
This story has been updated with a comment from Rivian.