That’s awful. Feel bad for him and the family. I gotta think the guy was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, violating some safety protocol. That said; if not, the family is gonna get a big chunk of caterpillar.
That’s awful. Feel bad for him and the family. I gotta think the guy was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, violating some safety protocol. That said; if not, the family is gonna get a big chunk of caterpillar.
Just by what little that was written in the article, at least two safety violations. No fall protection equipment used, working near an unguarded/uncovered hole in the floor. How fúckin STUPID can a person get... 🤬
Being the metal is more dense than a human, I'd assume he floated on top while just being on fire and burning. Hopefully he passed out quick due to lack of oxygen.
My uncle died at work too. He worked at the local brewery and fell into the Whiskey vat, several of his co-workers tried to save him but he bravely fought them off.
If you work in that setting and don't pay attention for a few seconds it can cost you your life.
There were two fatal accidents at the foundry during the time I worked there. The first one was an electrician that I knew put himself somewhere he shouldn't have been and got crushed to death. The second one was one of two general laborers got crushed to death inside a holding furnace while tearing out the brick lining in the furnace. I didn’t know the man who died, the kid that was inside the furnace helping him also got trapped for four hours before they could get him out went through plant orientation with me. Jason was never right after the accident. Neither were properly trained to be doing the debricking job.
I told my wife about this article this evening while relaxing on the back deck.
She told me a story I'd never heard about my FIL.
My FIL was a major big-wig in the copper industry - top brass for BHP Copper, consulted, designed and built smelters all over the world (all with a HS diploma, BTW.)
One of his employees was showing some foreign investors around the smelter in San Manuel, AZ. There was a steam leak and water discharge (somehow, wife didn't know the details) but the water hit the molten copper and the massive explosion tossed one of the BHP guys right into the vat of molten copper.
My wife said it was the only time in 35 years she remembered Dad coming home from work early. He was extremely shaken up and couldn't talk about it for many years. It happened right in front of him.
My late uncle worked at the old Bethlehem Steel plant here in Pa 50hrs+/week for 40+years and told me they had a few guys die by falling into melt pots. Hell of a thing to see Id imagine.
If you work in that setting and don't pay attention for a few seconds it can cost you your life.
Yep. Before changing careers, I spent a number of years working in UG coal. My worst day(s) was the accident, and the investigation for a fatality. It was eye opening on multiple levels and started me on the path of leaving that company.
I told my wife about this article this evening while relaxing on the back deck.
She told me a story I'd never heard about my FIL.
My FIL was a major big-wig in the copper industry - top brass for BHP Copper, consulted, designed and built smelters all over the world (all with a HS diploma, BTW.)
From the article: Even before the deaths of Dierkes and Adams, the facility has faced serious OSHA violations. In 2020, it was fined $5,750 following a complaint over a fall. In 2019, it faced $4,337 and $17,711 fines following separate violations. Two years prior, it faced a $25,868 penalty after a worker was struck by a crane he believed had faulted. Another Caterpillar worker suffered six broken ribs following a separate 2017 incident when he climbed a chair to reach a part and fell onto a concrete floor, OSHA said. The worksite was fined $5,079.
Our division VP used to run a plant. Don’t know the details but one of his guys got killed. Now he (and everyone else) is safety conscious in the extreme. Sometimes I think they almost get a bit annoying with it (they lose their mind over minor scrapes), but I’d much rather that than the other way around.