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. Caterpillar has 15 working days to either comply with the proposed penalties, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings of the investigation. Caterpillar did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside normal working hours. 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. We were into professional wrestling, so every Friday night, wed get together with friends and wed try wrestling moves on each other. Our melting area is physically connected but operationally independent. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. According to OSHA, Caterpillar Inc. has received a violation and faces $145,027 worth in fines. An OSHA investigation found "the foundry routinely exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards" while they worked within 4 feet of containers of molten iron. "We implore employers to review the agency specific regulations to protect workers from falls into equipment in industrial settings.". A spokesperson for the foundry Lisa Miller, said: We are deeply saddened by the death of an employee who was involved in a serious incident at our Mapleton, Illinois, facility on June 2., Our thoughts are with this employees family, friends and colleagues. One of them being, if the hooks fall out of the block or gating or whatever just get back and let it all fall. Investigators with OSHA found that the foundry regularly exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards as they worked close to deep containers of molten iron. 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. Word spread fast and people were gathering trying to find out what happened.. An Illinois man died instantly after he allegedly fell into a vat of molten iron in early June. 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. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) WMBD/WYZZ is following up on a report of a Liberty Steel worker falling into a vat of acid in Peoria Monday. Jan. 18, 1982 Man jumps into molten steel; officials rule suicide PITTSBURGH -- Company officials say a worker committed suicide by jumping into a ladle of molten steel but his family. FILE: Construction machines of Caterpillar Inc. (Gen Yuhe/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images), FOX Business Flash top headlines for November 15. Was heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. In April 2020, a 47-year-old man committed suicide by jumping from a tall building in Putian City, Fujian Province. More than 800 people are employed at the Caterpillar foundry in Mapleton, Illinois, and the foundry manufactures "engine components used for construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives," according to OSHA. 2. He allegedly fell 20 feet while climbing a ladder. Ron said of Adams death that he was surprised one of the local stations actually had the audacity to point out the death of a contractor only last December in our facility. "We implore employers to review the agency specific regulations to protect workers from falls into equipment in industrial settings.". Peoria County deputies were called to the facility around 10am last week when a man fell into a vat of molten iron at 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit and died on the spot. Federal safety regulations require employers to install guardrails and restraint systems to protect workers from falls into dangerous equipment like Dierkes suffered. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. Federal safety regulations require employers to install guardrails and restraint systems to protect workers from falls into dangerous equipment like Dierkes suffered. Wang Long, 34, went missing from a night shift at the Chinese steel factory where he worked before surveillance footage revealed the disturbing chain of events leading to his death. 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. 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. Tata Steel has been fined 500,000 after a Port Talbot worker was fatally injured after a fall into molten waste. All rights reserved. 0:57. Federal investigatorssay that inadequate safety protections may have contributed to the worker's death and propose to fine the foundry operator Caterpillar of $145,027. This is the second death. They dropped a 10-ton hook and block from an overhead gantry crane on a man during the strike, he said of the first fatality decades ago. Caterpillars failure to meet its legal responsibilities to ensure the safety and health of workers leaves this workers family, friends and co-workers to grieve needlessly, OSHA Area Director Christine Zortman said. It didnt go away, but the work being done by UAW-represented people did. The safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority.. A father-of-three was killed instantly at work following an accident involving molten iron at almost 1,500C. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority.. Steven Dierkes, 39, was taking a sample from the 1,400C crucible when he tripped and fell in, killing him. Our thoughts are with this employees family, friends and colleagues. I received a text from my boss early evening last night that we were not to return to work until Monday. 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. Whose leak is it anyway? By Michael Curzon. The incident happened on Thursday, June 2, at Caterpillar's facility in Mapleton in Central Illinois, Peoria County coroner Jamie Harwood said. A worker fell into a pool of 720C molten aluminium at a factory - but somehow he survived. (RELATED: 72-Year-Old Woman Dies Hiking In Park That Authorities Closed Down Years Ago), Americas Got Talent Star Jonathan Goodwin Paralyzed After Getting Crushed And Caught On Fire https://t.co/ZlVm7PhosX, Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 4, 2022, We are deeply saddened by the death of an employee who was involved in a serious incident at our Mapleton, Illinois, facility on June 2, Caterpillar spokeswoman Lisa Millar said in an email to the outlet, Our thoughts are with this employees family, friends and colleagues. In an exchange in 2016 between a UAW safety representative and OSHA, it was revealed that Caterpillar frequently retaliated against employees who reported safety violations, while the UAW did practically nothing. Caterpillar workers: We want to hear from you. The unidentified worker explained: He died instantly, but not all of him went in. The video showing the man slapping hot molten liquid first surfaced in 2018. Its very punishing work with a lot of carpal tunnel and similar injuries. We've received your submission. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. I havent seen the melting area in years, let alone the melt deck itself, so I cannot report what conditions are like. "Producing more than 150,000 tons each year, 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 died instantly, but not all of him went in. Four thousand pounds of molten steel poured into an open pit after the lid blew off a caster at the foundry Wednesday at 5 p.m. 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. We feel deeply sorry for his death. Ive got girls in high school. 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. Anobituary for Dierkes, via PJ Star, notes the worker passed away at 9:23 a.m. from a workplace accident.. 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. A disturbing surveillance video allegedly showing a man jumping into a blast furnace and taking his own life has shocked Chinese internet users. "We implore employers to review the agency specific regulations to protect workers from falls into equipment in industrial settings.". He is remembered as a hard-working teddy bear of a man with calloused hands and a tender heart.. We are proactively appeasing the emotions of his family and carrying out psychological guidance for our workers, the company said in a statement, according to the South China Morning Post. The U.S. Department . 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. A father-of-three died when he fell into a vat of molten iron, a coroner has said. Mr. Tiller, who had just finished on the shift that ended at 7 a.m., heard the fire alarm. This story has been shared 106,884 times. The UAW has done nothing to stop the increasing safety hazards happening, as the repeat violations and injuries at the facility reveal. Once he reported [his] injury, he was discharged, Mitchell said. has received a violation and faces $145,027 worth in fines. {Read More: Horrific death at Caterpillar Mapleton foundry evokes outpouring of shock and anger among workers}. He was taking a sample of iron for the met lab and apparently just tripped, a worker who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS). The reason it was outsourced is because of high injury numbers and workers comp experience, he said. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. I was working with a guy shaking out 3600 diesel blocks with a 50 ton bridge crane once and gave him a run down of what not to do. Another Caterpillar worker moved his wife and eight children from Oklahoma to find work at the Mapleton facility. Federal safety regulations require employers to install guardrails or covers to protect workers from falling into dangerous equipment. Users of Chinas social media platform Weibo expressed their sadness about Wangs death. Steve Dierkes, a 39-year-old employee and melting specialist at a Caterpillar foundry which produces cast iron engine components in Mapleton, Illinois, was "immediately incinerated" after falling into the huge tub of molten iron that was heated to approximately twice the temperature of volcanic lava on June 2 earlier this year. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Scott M. Adams' identity was . When he arrived at St. Joseph Medical Center in Fort Wayne, molten metal had . Steve Mitchell, the UAWs safety chairman for the plant, admitted to a panel of investigators that the company fired workers who reported safety issues, while fecklessly stating, Im not here to speak badly about Caterpillar., In recent years at my local, Mitchell stated then, weve filed 53 11(c) complaints [whistleblower complaints under the section 11(c) of the OSHA act of 1970], and we havent had one complaint thats come in our favor. He added that people who made these complaints were disciplined or discharged and they expressed to [him] that they wish theyd never reported their injuries, and thats a sad state of affairs when you consider that your worst day at work of getting hurt just got made worse by potentially losing your job., Mitchell detailed horrific stories of workers who got fired as well. 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. The United Auto Workers (UAW), which oversees a number of Caterpillar workers, said little more: Local 974 lost one of our members this morning in a tragic accident at our Mapleton facility. The safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority.. OSHA said in a news release Wednesday that the death of the 39-year-old employee happened on June 2 at a Caterpillar foundry in central Illinois, which produces cast iron engine components. 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. Investigators say if safety guards were installed, if might have prevented the accident. A representative from the Bartonville Police Department said . The death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area, Ron said. Wang Long, 34, an employee at Baogang Group in Baotou, Inner Monglia, is seen removing his safety helmet and gloves, placing them on the ground as he hesitates before hurling himself into the molten steel, the South China Morning Post reported. Federal investigators say inadequate safety protections may be to blame for the worker's death. Another worker, who identified himself as Ron, said the death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area. A 39-year-old Caterpillar worker, Steven Dierkes, died instantly last Thursday after falling into a molten iron crucible at the company's Mapleton, Illinois foundry. "Producing more than 150,000 tons each year, 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.". St Gallen police The incident took place at a factory in St Gallen in Switzerland. "Producing more than 150,000 tons each year, 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.". 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. Sign up for notifications from Insider! An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. The report noted: An employee was repairing a broken chain on an overhead conveyor system. More than six months after his death, the investigation is still underway. Ron was unable to report on the conditions of the foundry melting area. International Committee of the Fourth International. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. I dont know what time it happened but by 10:20 a.m. the entire facility was sent home, the worker said. It was told to the members in a factory meeting. The throat mucus layer had been completely burned off, and the muscle was cooked or damaged to the depth of about 1 cm, they report. Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. On Dec. 17, 1997, while working at Steel Dynamics in Butler, Miller fell into a 5-foot-deep vat of 950-degree zinc. Copyright 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. A 25-year-old electrician has had a miracle escape after falling into a furnace filled with liquid aluminium at 720C/1,328F.Incredibly, despite the searing p. Mr. Thompson, 55, saw the ladle drop and tried to run, but the molten metal caught up with him. He was melted in half. "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," said OSHA Area Director Christine Zortman in Peoria, Illinois. Lean Jinghui | April 06, 2021, 05:47 PM . In December 2021, 50-year-old Scott M. Adams also took a fatal plunge in the factory. One of the world's biggest manufacturers of industrial vehicles and equipment has been cited and penalized for . "A worker's life could have been spared if Caterpillar had made sure required safety protections were in place, a fact that only adds to this tragedy," said OSHA's regional administrator Bill Donovan in Chicago. What a pity that he lost his life at such a young age!. FAQ - New Privacy Policy, Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com. 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., Steven Dierkes, 39, is survived by his partner Jessica Sutter and their three daughters. We've received your submission. Photo by Steven Dierkes / Facebook A father of three died instantly after. As a leek [a term for individual stock investors in China] like him, I sympathize with him, one person said. 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? We won't get into all the gory details . 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. The five injured employees were standing around the pit, Cambria County . A federal investigation determined that, if proper safety guards had been installed, the death could have been avoided, OSHA said. "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. Caterpillar has 15 business days penalties to comply, request a conference or contest the findings. 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 the video, posted to r/WTF on Wednesday, a bald-headed man, hanging out in a metal smelting plant, removes his protective gloves, crouches by a small waterfall of glowing, white-hot metal, and smacks the stream . . They didnt fix the job. Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. All comments will be published anonymously. 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 added that he would have done anything for anyone with no expectation of anything in return. Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said that no foul play is suspected, according to the Peoria Journal Star. 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 . 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 incident took place at the Caterpillar foundry in Mapleton, the Peoria County coroner told the Peoria Journal Star. One worker who suffered an injury after falling over a trip hazard was fired by the company. The electrician fell tumbled into a furnace filled with the melted metal while at work in St. Caterpillar has 15 business days from the time of OSHA's citation to either comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director to discuss the matter further or contest the findings and citation in front of the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Leek [ a term for individual stock investors in China ] like him, i with... Foundry evokes outpouring of shock and anger among workers } Port Talbot was! Discharged, Mitchell said in Switzerland to TomoNews, where we animate most! But operationally independent with him, i sympathize with him, i sympathize him. Fatal plunge in the factory molten liquid first surfaced in 2018 after falling over trip... Uaw-Represented people did on June 2, 2022 Putian City, Fujian Province to blame for the worker said found... 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