Worker Killed in Robot Accident at VW Plant

A contractor helping to install a manufacturing robot at Volkswagen AG's factory in Kassel, Germany, was killed on Wednesday after being struck by the machine, the Financial Times reports.

The 21-year-old worker reportedly was inside the protective cage normally used to shield workers from the robot. A second worker outside the cage was unhurt, according to the FT. Officials are investigating the incident.

The newspaper says the fatality rate in the manufacturing sector is lower than for the economy overall in Europe and the U.S. The rate in America among manufacturing workers is about 2.1 per 100,000 compared with 16.4 for those working in a tavern, according to the FT.