Having molten lead or gold poured down your throat, they . The family of Caleb Otieno, an employee of Thika-based Blue Nile Rolling Mills Ltd, who was killed after he fell into a vat of molten steel last month, is entangled in a row . The chair rolled out from underneath the employee. Per federal safety regulations, Caterpillar Inc. was required to install guardrails or some type of restraint to protect their employees. The company is ordered to pay a fine of $145,027. Caterpillar is facing a $145,000 fine for its role in the death of a 39-year-old man who fell into a pot of molten iron at the company's Illinois foundry. I havent seen the melting area in years, let alone the melt deck itself, so I cannot report what conditions are like. We were into professional wrestling, so every Friday night, wed get together with friends and wed try wrestling moves on each other. 0:00. He climbed up on a chair with wheels to reach the part. Fill out the form below to share your experience about any workplace or safety issues at your facility. A father-of-three died when he fell into a vat of . Skip to content. It was only his ninth day on the job, OSHA said. This story has been shared 106,884 times. The employee was attempting to retrieve a part from a machine. The employee removed the guards and laid on the rollers then saw the broken chain and pulled out with his hands and counted the links on the damaged chain. After earning his bachelor's degree from Penn State in Advertising/Public Relations, Caleb went to New York where he learned production assistance, photography and art direction. The UAW has done nothing to stop the increasing safety hazards happening, as the repeat violations and injuries at the facility reveal. PEOPLE. Ron, the veteran Caterpillar worker, noted that speedups and outsourcing of the workforce have created increasingly deadly conditions, A number of operations like chip and grind have been outsourced, he said. He had allegedly lost more than 60,000 yuan (S$12,281) on Mar. "Caterpillar's failure to meet its legal responsibilities to ensure the safety and health of workers leaves this worker's family, friends and co-workers to grieve needlessly," shared OSHA Area Director Christine Zortman in Peoria. Powered and implemented byFactSet Digital Solutions. MAPLETON, Ill. (Gray News) A Caterpillar employee was immediately incinerated when he fell into an 11-foot-deep pot of molten iron heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. All comments will be published anonymously. Steven Dierkes, the 39-year-old employee of a Mapleton foundry, fell into an 11-foot-deep pot of molten iron heated to more 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and was "immediately incinerated." Tell us what conditions are like in your workplace. Steven Dierkes, of Peoria, Illinois, was. The employee who died was a melting specialist who was removing a sample of iron from a furnace when he fell into the melting pot. Caterpillar did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside normal working hours. The UAW betrayed two strikes by Caterpillar workers, in 1991-1992 and in a protracted 17-month-long strike in 1994-1995, which ended with the imposition of the hated two-tier system and a 30 percent cut in wages for new hires by 1998. A father-of-three died when he fell into a vat of molten iron, a coroner has said. It added that he would have done anything for anyone with no expectation of anything in return. Federal safety regulations require employers to install guardrails or covers to protect workers from falling into dangerous equipment. "Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined the foundry routinely exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards as they worked within four feet of deep ceramic containers of super-heated molten iron," OSHA said in a statement. In November 2019, OSHA fined Caterpillar $4,337 for a serious health and safety violation at the Mapleton facility. Steven Dierkes, of Peoria, Illinois, died instantly after he was presumably working alongside a crucible when he fell in, according to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood. His co-workers said he had been trading stocks and futures for a long time. This is the second death. Federal safety regulations require employers to install guardrails and restraint systems to protect workers from falls into dangerous equipment like Dierkes suffered. Kevin Downey. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, A video by Caterpillar Mapleton Foundry shows iron being melted at 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit. His services were no longer needed. The reason it was outsourced is because of high injury numbers and workers comp experience, he said. In articles which talked about the video that time, the man was identified as an Armenian steel worker named Arkady . Adams was contracted from Shaefer Electric to work at the Caterpillar foundry, where he was installing new equipment. Place is dangerous AF and doesn't leave much room for stupid even with all the safety regs. IRVING, Texas A Caterpillar Inc. employee is dead after he fell into a pot full of molten iron heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Watch David Norths remarks commemorating 25 years of the World Socialist Web Site and donate today. Shocking video captured the moment a despondent steel factory worker in China took his own life by jumping into a blast furnace after reportedly losing just over $9,000 in the stock market. Adams is believed to have fallen over 20 feet through a hole in the floor, OSHA said. He allegedly fell 20 feet while climbing a ladder. "If required safety guards or fall protection had been installed, the 39-year-old employee's ninth day on the job might not have been their last.". Word spread fast and people were gathering trying to find out what happened.. A 39-year-old employee on their ninth day of work at a Caterpillar foundry in Illinois fell into a melting pot of iron "and was immediately incinerated," authorities said. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. In 1998, A man named Allen Wardle survived for six hours after falling 20ft into a 450C vat of molten zinc at a factory in Essex. Industrial accident: Man falls into machine while at work. Caterpillar has 15 business days from the time of OSHAs citation to either comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director to discuss the matter further or contest the findings and citation in front of the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. They were told that its because you guys are getting hurt and our work comp costs are going up. Side-effects may include nausea, diarrhea, high blood pressure, abdominal pain, mood disorders, and death. On June 2, a 39-year-old melting specialist died at a Caterpillar-owned foundry in Mapleton, Illinois, after falling into an "11-foot-deep" pot of molten iron that had been heated to over. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. A representative from the Bartonville Police Department said . While an OSHA investigation is still under way more than six months after his death, Adams allegedly climbed a ladder and fell some 20 feet through a floor opening that was not properly covered. They didnt fix the job. Stay up to date with what you want to know. I've moved away from my family. One of the world's biggest manufacturers of industrial vehicles and equipment has been cited and penalized for the death of a worker who fell into an 11-foot-deep pot of molten iron heated to more than 2,000 degrees this summer. China Steel Factory Suicide He lost more than one million yuan (equivalent to 152,000 US dollars) on the stock exchange, the police said in a statement. Worker dies in molten metal tragedy A 52-year-old man has died after falling into a vat of molten zinc. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said that no foul play is suspected, according to the Peoria Journal Star. 2. Harwood said the Thursday incident which took place at theCaterpillarMapleton Foundry was accidental and no foul play is suspected, thePeoria Journal Starreports. We've received your submission. The BBC's Joe Campbell reports: Alan Wardour, of Higham, Kent, suffered 100% burns when he fell into the vat containing molten metal heated to 400C. Word spread fast and people were gathering trying to find out what happened. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent investigators to the Mapleton foundry after an employee fell to his death on June 2, the agency said in a news release. It must have been ghastly for those folks that witnessed it and to wait for the coroner with half of their coworker lying on the floor., The worker, called Ron to protect his identity claims the death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area.. He is remembered as a hard-working teddy bear of a man with calloused hands and a tender heart.. -Caleb Fernndez is a digital content producer for KGUN 9. A man was killed instantly at work after tripping and falling into a vat of molten iron which was almost 1,500C. Steven Dierkes, the 39-year-old employee of a Mapleton foundry, fell into an 11-foot-deep pot of molten iron heated to more 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and was "immediately incinerated." It was. Although falling into a pool of molten metal would be severely painful, our pain receptors overload at temperatures above 60 C (140 F) and become numb. Dierkes is remembered as a hard-working teddy bear of a man with calloused hands and a tender heart, who would have done anything for anyone with no expectation of anything in return. The tragic incident follows the death of 50-year-old Scott Adams, an electrical contractor, who also died after falling in the foundry in 2021. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006, (RELATED: 72-Year-Old Woman Dies Hiking In Park That Authorities Closed Down Years Ago), occupational safety and health administration. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider As a leek [a term for individual stock investors in China] like him, I sympathize with him, one person said. Tom Wood. By Michael Curzon. Investigators with OSHA found that the foundry regularly exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards as they worked close to deep containers of molten iron. Sign up for notifications from Insider! 24. A 39-year-old worker on just his ninth day on the job at a Caterpillar-operated foundry in Mapleton, Illinois, died after falling into a vat of molten iron. One worker who suffered an injury after falling over a trip hazard was fired by the company. These components are the foundation for the companys 115-6,600hp (86- 4,920 kW) engine platforms, the company adds. We won't get into all the gory details . Our thoughts are with this employees family, friends and colleagues. Steven's family remembered him as a 'teddy bear of a man' who 'adored' his daughters. When he arrived at St. Joseph Medical Center in Fort Wayne, molten metal had . "Caterpillar's foundry is one of the nation's largest, and they should be acutely aware of industry regulations to protect workers using smelters and other dangerous equipment," he added. A Caterpillar worker has died after falling into a crucible filled with 2,600-degree Fahrenheit molten iron. Ive got girls in high school. Legal Statement. Despite suffering 100% burns, he would die later that day in the hospital. It was really tough to sit there and hand the guy Kleenexes in my office as he cried, and he talked about, What am I going to do now? It was only the employees ninth day on the job. the sellout of Caterpillar workers by the UAW, Sellout at Arconic: The latest showdown between workers and the unions, The UAW betrayal at Caterpillar and the case for rank-and-file committees, US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 5,333 workers died on the job in 2019, or one every 99 minutes, As workers mourn death of Sterling Stamping worker Terry Garr, few facts made public. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. If required safety guards or fall protection had been installed, the 39-year-old employee's ninth day on the job might not have been their last.. has received a violation and faces $145,027 worth in fines. The facility ships an average of 150,000 tons of finished product each year.. . The incident occurred at Caterpillar's foundry in Mapleton, Illinois on June 2, 2022. An Illinois man died instantly after he allegedly fell into a vat of molten iron in early June. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), part of the Department of Labor, determined that the foundry routinely exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards, even though they worked less than four feet from deep ceramic containers of molten iron that were heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It must have been ghastly for those folks that witnessed it and to wait for the coroner with half of their coworker lying on the floor, the worker told the outlet. Steven Dierkes, 39, was taking a sample from the 1,400C crucible when he tripped and fell in, killing him. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Dierkes death remains under investigation by the Peoria County Coroners office, the Sheriffs Office, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority at all Caterpillar locations around the world.". St Gallen police The incident took place at a factory in St Gallen in Switzerland. The report stated, At 4:47 am on November 1, 2017, an employee walked down an automated crane aisle to check a crane that he believed had faulted. Last Wednesday, OSHA proposed fines of $145,027 against Caterpillar for not installing a guardrail or travel restraint at the foundry, which manufactures cast iron engine components. Steven Dierkes, 39, from Peoria, who was working alongside a crucible at iron-melting factory. Wardle's workmates managed to quickly recover him from the vat, and I do mean quickly. "I left. Police said they believe he took his life because he had a high level of loan debt after reportedly losing over 60,000 yuan about $9,130 in the stock market. THIS IS the horrifying moment a desperate factory worker jumped into a super-heated 900C steel furnace after allegedly losing 6,000 on the stock market. It is believed Adams stepped off a ladder before falling through a hole in the floor. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) _ Three workers plunged from a platform into a pit full of molten steel and died and five other employees were injured in the accident at the Johnstown Corp. steel plant. An Illinois foundry worker died following an accidental fall into 1,400-degrees Celsius molten iron crucible, which burned half of his body. by Colin Fluxman | Published November 10, 2022 A 39-year-old employee of a Mapleton foundry fell and was immediately incinerated in an 11-foot-deep pot of molten iron heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. A 39-YEAR-old worker died after falling into a molten iron vat of 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit molten - leaving half of his body lying on the floor. Accidental and no foul play is suspected, according to the Peoria County coroner man falls into molten steel Harwood said that foul. And the Occupational safety and health Administration throat, they get into all the safety regs pressure, abdominal,. 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