The North Carolina Department of Labor cited the semiconductor chip manufacturer Wolfspeed with two serious violations after an employee died last year at the facility.
The violations carry a penalty of $27,554.
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The man died on Oct. 13 at the Research Triangle Park facility located at 4600 Silicon Drive in Durham.
"Wolfspeed continues to mourn the loss of our colleague, and our profound and heartfelt sympathies remain with his family, friends and Wolfspeed team members," a Wolfspeed spokesperson wrote in a statement. "We believe providing a safe work environment is the most fundamentally important thing that we do for our employees."
"Their safety, health and overall wellbeing has been – and will continue to be – our number one priority."
An inspection report from the U.S. Department of Labor found the technician was working in the corrective maintenance section of the campus.
The report states the technician entered alone through a gated fence area to access the substation.
However, the technician did not put on his Arc flash gear gloves when attempting to test the bus conductors. With his right hand, the technician reached into the bay and made contact with an exposed coil.
An emergency response team member found the technician unresponsive against the base of the bay with his right hand latched onto the coils. He was removed from the coil and declared dead.
The report states the employee was killed when he was electrocuted.
"We appreciate the care, dedication and collaboration that the North Carolina Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health division (OSH) exercised throughout every stage of this investigation and the opportunity we had to share the steps Wolfspeed has taken to ensure our facility meets or exceeds all standards," the Wolfspeed spokesperson said. "In addition to the safety enhancements that Wolfspeed has already initiated to date, we maintain an ongoing commitment to workplace safety and will continue to implement programs that help keep our teams safe."