Photo: Alexander Koerner, Getty Images
A brand new Volkswagen Passat and Golf 7 car are stored in a tower at the Volkswagen Autostadt complex near the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg Germany

Robot Crushes Worker at VW Plant

July 2, 2015
Contractor dies from injuries sustained while installing machinery at VW plant.

A contractor was killed allegedly while installing a robot at a Volkswagen transmission plant in Germany.

The worker earlier this week was installing machinery in Volkswagen’s Kassel factory when he was trapped by a robotic arm and crushed into a metal plate, according to early reports.

“He died later in hospital from his injuries and our thoughts are with his family,” Volkswagen said in a statement.

“We are of course carrying out a full investigation into the incident and cannot comment further at this time.”

The Kassel plant, which employs about 15,500 people, is the company’s primary transmission plant, and annually supplies the entire Volkswagen Group with about 4 million manual and automatic transmissions.

About the Author

Ginger Christ | Associate Editor

Ginger Christ is an associate editor for EHS Today, a Penton publication.

She has covered business news for the past seven years, working at daily and weekly newspapers and magazines in Ohio, including the Dayton Business Journal and Crain’s Cleveland Business.

Most recently, she covered transportation and leadership for IndustryWeek, a sister publication to EHS Today.

She holds a bachelor of arts in English and in Film Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

Connect on Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter

Sponsored Recommendations

Committing to Safety: Why Leadership’s Role in Safety Excellence is Key

Jan. 13, 2025
Leadership has the power to transform an organization through their behavior and vision, which can result in the creation of an organizational culturethat supports safety excellence...

Speak Up! Cementing "See Something, Say Something" to Drive Safety

Jan. 13, 2025
Many organizations promote "see something, say something" to encourage their people to intervene and make work safe. But most don't go far enough to equip teams with the skills...

The Truth and Challenges of Cultivating Chronic Unease

Jan. 13, 2025
DEKRA announces its latest white paper, “The Truth and Challenges of Cultivating Chronic Unease,” as a definitive look into why being vulnerable to incidents strengthens our commitment...

Mitigating Risks: Strategies for Safeguarding Workers in Hazardous Workplaces

Jan. 13, 2025
Join our expert team in taking on the challenge to make safety part of your organization’s DNA as work, the workforce, and workplaces evolve.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!