Joliet Workers' Rights Group Condemns Crest Hill Workplace Death

CREST HILL, IL —Joliet-based Warehouse Workers for Justice (WWJ) put out a statement Tuesday condemning the recent workplace death of an employee at Rich Products Crest Hill, a local warehouse that produces pizza crust and topped pizzas for national food producer Rich's.

In the statement, the workers' rights group pointed to other incidents at the facility, including two other deaths that occurred there in 2016 and 2017. The group said Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) logs revealed there had been 51 serious injuries at the facility since 2016.

Wale Ogunyemi, a sanitation worker at the warehouse, was killed at the facility on either July 20 or 21, both have been reported. According to The Herald-News, the Will County Coroner's Office did not report the death initially, but has since confirmed it, without offering any details.

Crest Hill Police Chief Ed Clark said his officers investigated the incident in which a worker was killed while cleaning a machine, according to The Herald-News.

The workers' group said OSHA had opened an investigation into Ogunyemi's death.

"Warehouse Workers for Justice are heartbroken to find out about the recent loss of a warehouse worker and community member, Wale Ogunyemi," the group's statement read. "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 addition to the deaths and injuries, which included "an accident where there was an amputee," the organization said the warehouse had several OSHA violations, including "Locking and Tagging" violations.

"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 (in July)," the group's statement read. "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."

When contacted by Patch, representatives from Buffalo, New York-based Rich Products Corporation provided a statement from Crest Hill Plant Manager Dale Sickman.

"We are devastated by the tragedy that occurred in our Crest Hill manufacturing facility and are heartbroken for Wale Ogunyemi and his family," Sickman said. "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."

According to Warehouse Workers for Justice, warehouse workers and community members who witness unsafe working conditions can call the organization's anonymous tip line at 815-722-5003 or contact the Worker Outreach Program online.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with Ogunyemi's funeral expenses and to help provide for his family, which includes his wife, two daughters, ages 7 and 9, his mother and siblings.