A federal workplace safety report says a forklift operator who was talking on a phone struck and killed the CEO of a Hyundai subcontractor at a sprawling Georgia industrial construction site in March 2025, a death that investigators said followed a pattern of serious incidents at the project.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration findings, released after the agency closed its investigation, detail the moments leading up to the death of Sunbok You, 45, the chief executive of SBY America. The report’s conclusions have renewed scrutiny of safety practices at the battery project linked to Hyundai’s electric vehicle expansion near Savannah, where multiple injuries and deaths have been recorded during construction and where federal agents later carried out a large immigration enforcement operation.
According to the OSHA file, You was at the HL-GA Battery Company construction site on March 21, 2025, speaking with workers when he decided to walk across a road inside the active work area. Investigators said he was then struck by a forklift and killed. OSHA documents described You as wearing an eye patch over his right eye and a black vest, and the report noted that site rules called for a high-visibility green vest instead. A safety manager’s statement to OSHA, which was translated for the investigation, said the forklift operator was talking on a phone while driving.
OSHA said the operator got off the forklift after the collision and “ran away” without checking on You. The report said the forklift driver worked for a separate contractor, Beyond Iron Construction. The agency’s file did not identify the driver by name, and it did not describe whether law enforcement pursued criminal charges connected to the forklift operation. The OSHA investigation focused on workplace hazards and the responsibility of companies operating on the site, including how traffic and pedestrians were managed in a busy, changing construction environment.
In its findings, OSHA cited hazards tied to moving equipment and pedestrian safety, issues that can be heightened at large industrial projects where multiple contractors share roads, laydown yards and work zones. The agency said You’s death prompted an investigation into several companies connected to the site, including HL-GA Battery Company, SBY America, Beyond Iron Construction and Steel Brothers Development. OSHA issued penalties to three companies and said one company’s fine was tied to record-keeping requirements rather than the strike itself.
Beyond Iron Construction received the largest penalty, $16,550, after OSHA said the company exposed workers to “struck-by and crushing hazards” and failed to ensure forklift operators followed traffic rules. Investigators said those rules included speed limits and procedures such as using spotters and using a horn when a driver’s vision was obstructed. SBY America was fined $9,268 after OSHA said the company exposed employees to “struck-by and crushing” hazards likely to cause serious injury or death. HL-GA Battery Company was fined $1,800 for failing to submit required injury and illness forms to OSHA, according to the report.
OSHA’s documentation also pointed to the complicated chain of contractors operating within the megasite, a setup that safety experts say can create gaps unless roles are clearly defined and enforced. Investigators said the forklift operator worked for one contractor while the victim led another, and the file emphasized jobsite controls such as high-visibility clothing and traffic management. OSHA did not publicly describe specific engineering controls that were in place at the point of impact, such as barriers, marked walkways, signage or dedicated pedestrian crossings. The file also did not say whether You had been escorted by a spotter or whether his movement across the road was routine for supervisors and managers on the site.
The report framed You’s death as part of a wider record of incidents during construction. OSHA documents and local emergency records cited by local reporting show dozens of calls for service to the site over a 16-month period, including more than a dozen for traumatic injuries. The incidents listed included another forklift-related injury and a case in which a worker was caught in a conveyor belt. Authorities have also referenced a pipe explosion that sent a worker to a hospital earlier in 2025, and a separate fatal incident in May 2025 when a 27-year-old worker died after a metal frame fell on him at the HL-GA Battery construction project.
Those episodes have drawn attention because the project is tied to one of Georgia’s largest recent industrial developments and involves work taking place around the clock. The HL-GA Battery facility is part of a joint venture connected to Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, operating alongside Hyundai’s electric vehicle manufacturing investment in Bryan County. The scale of the jobsite has brought in a large workforce and a mix of domestic and international contractors, along with constant movement of forklifts, trucks, cranes and other heavy equipment across internal roads.
OSHA has opened at least 15 investigations connected to incidents at the site, including the investigation into You’s death and the pipe explosion, according to local reporting that reviewed the agency’s records. OSHA investigations can take months and often result in citations, negotiated settlements, or reduced penalties after companies contest findings. The financial penalties in You’s case totaled under $30,000 across the cited companies, according to the report, though OSHA actions can also require corrective steps and can influence insurance, contracting and future oversight.
The release of the OSHA file also revived discussion of a large federal immigration enforcement operation at the megasite months after You’s death. In September 2025, federal agents and partner agencies detained 475 workers during a raid that Homeland Security Investigations described as its largest single-site enforcement operation. Authorities said those detained were part of a network of subcontractors working at the project, and officials emphasized the case involved work authorization and suspected immigration violations. The raid paused work on the site for a time and led to diplomatic attention because many of those detained were South Korean nationals, officials said.
In the OSHA report about You’s death, investigators noted that several companies reviewed by OSHA were among those named in the search warrant tied to the immigration raid, according to local reporting. Officials have not publicly confirmed You’s legal status, and OSHA’s investigation focused on safety conditions rather than immigration issues. Still, the overlap in contractors highlighted how closely labor, safety and oversight issues can intersect on giant industrial builds that rely on layers of subcontracting.
Representatives for the project have said that contractors connected to the incident are no longer working at the site. A spokesperson for HL-GA Battery Company told local media that neither SBY America nor Beyond Iron Construction remained contracted at the construction project. OSHA files did not describe whether the companies implemented new traffic plans or pedestrian controls after You’s death, but in cases involving moving equipment, employers commonly respond with added training, designated walkways, stricter enforcement of visibility rules and limits on distractions for equipment operators.
In Bryan County, local officials and residents have weighed the project’s economic promise against the visible risks of heavy construction and the strain of rapid growth. Emergency calls to the megasite, traffic near the development and the changing workforce have all been points of public discussion. Worker advocates and families of people harmed on the site have pushed for answers about why fatal incidents occurred and whether safety systems were strong enough for a jobsite of that size. Employers and developers have stressed that large projects involve hazards and that safety plans evolve as work progresses, though OSHA’s repeated investigations have kept pressure on contractors to show measurable improvements.
For OSHA, the case illustrates a persistent focus on “struck-by” hazards, one of the leading causes of death in construction. Forklifts and other powered industrial trucks are common on industrial worksites, and safety rules generally prohibit distractions that pull attention from driving and require operators to maintain clear lines of sight, use spotters when needed and follow defined traffic routes. OSHA’s file singled out those basic controls while describing a jobsite where supervisors, visitors and workers may cross paths with moving equipment across internal roads.
As of late December, no new OSHA action tied to You’s death had been announced beyond the fines detailed in the closed report. The next milestone for the broader site is likely to be the outcome of additional OSHA investigations still open from other incidents and any public updates from contractors about changes to traffic controls, training or supervision. For You’s family and coworkers, the report offers the most detailed public account yet of how a routine moment on a worksite turned deadly, and it adds another chapter to the safety record of one of the region’s biggest construction projects.
Author note: Last updated Dec. 26, 2025.