A Korean-Chinese dayworker at an industrial waste disposal house was found dead in a waste crusher Wednesday, the Gyeonggi Ilsan police said.

According to the police, the 53-year-old man, surnamed Park, died on the first day of the job at the disposal house in Ilsan, Goyang-si around 5:20 p.m. He was discovered with part of his head caught under the crushing roller.

The witness, who had also instructed Park on how to use the machine, said he was making his way out when he turned around and didn’t see Park where he had been standing.

Park was sifting out waste from a rolling conveyer belt before the incident occurred. He was standing 2 meters from the end of the belt and 2 meters from the mouth of the crusher below.

The managing instructor said he did not hear a scream.

The police requested the National Forensic Service do an autopsy to determine the exact cause of Park’s unnatural death.

They will also conduct a joint investigation with the region’s labor office to see if there were loopholes in safety management.

Park was in Korea on a work visa. He was introduced to the job by a human resources recruitment office.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)