Warehouse Workers for Justice Mourns the Death of a Food Warehouse Worker in Crest Hill
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 and community members can reach out to report unsafe working conditions by calling our anonymous tip line at 815.722.5003 or contacting us at wwjworkeroutreach.org/contact
Based in Joliet, Illinois, Warehouse Workers for Justice is a worker center fighting for stable, living-wage jobs in warehouses and distribution centers. We educate workers about labor rights, teach folks how to enforce their rights, organize in the workplace and community and fight for public and private policies that promote full-time work at decent wages in the warehouse industry.
###
