An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. Investigators with OSHA found that the foundry regularly exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards as they worked close to deep containers of molten iron. Federal safety regulations require employers to install guardrails and restraint systems to protect workers from falls into dangerous equipment like Dierkes suffered. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He fell onto a concrete floor. FAQ - New Privacy Policy, Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com. The horrific death of the employee has raised questions over safety and health violations at the factory among workers and locals. Steven Dierkes, of Peoria, Illinois, was. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. has received a violation and faces $145,027 worth in fines. The company is ordered to pay a fine of $145,027. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Share your story ideas and important issues with Caleb by emailing caleb.fernandez@kgun9.com or by connecting on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. It added that he would have done anything for anyone with no expectation of anything in return. An investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as well as the sheriff and coroners offices is presently underway. One of them being, if the hooks fall out of the block or gating or whatever just get back and let it all fall. Sign up for notifications from Insider! "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. We don't have any money. 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. 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. It was told to the members in a factory meeting. Caterpillar has 15 business days penalties to comply, request a conference or contest the findings. The video showing the man slapping hot molten liquid first surfaced in 2018. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Upon his death in 1871, the Butcher Steel Works was taken over by the principal stockholders. Another wrote: Life is precious. The safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority.. 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. Half of 39-year-old Steven Dierkes's body was found lying on the floor after he supposedly fell into a crucible containing the molten iron, which was roughly 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the New York Post. Last December, Scott Adams of East Peoria fell to his death. 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. 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. The incident happened on Thursday, June 2, at . The safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority.. Presumably the company would have their whitewash mixed by then, he added. On Dec. 17, 1997, while working at Steel Dynamics in Butler, Miller fell into a 5-foot-deep vat of 950-degree zinc. Steven Dierkes, 39, was killed instantly when he stumbled into . 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. He climbed up on a chair with wheels to reach the part. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided byRefinitiv Lipper. 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. A worker at the factory said in a social media post, according to the website, that he had been employed for 5 days and did not have sufficient training to be on the iron floor. 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. Repeated violations result in higher fines. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. 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? The employee placed his hands, one finger to pick up the chain next to the sprocket and received a finger amputation., Caterpillar was fined $25,868 in November 2017 for a safety violation. Get the latest Caterpillar stock price here. 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. So, I guess that's somewhat comforting. A worker fell into a pool of 720C molten aluminium at a factory - but somehow he survived. Tata Steel has been fined 500,000 after a Port Talbot worker was fatally injured after a fall into molten waste. An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. Dierkes was only on the ninth day of his new job when he died. All comments will be published anonymously. The worker was "immediately. Steven Dierkes, 39, was taking a sample from the 1,400C crucible when he tripped and fell in, killing him. A 39-year-old Caterpillar worker, Steven Dierkes, died instantly last Thursday after falling into a molten iron crucible at the companys Mapleton, Illinois foundry. Police have ruled Wangs death a suicide. 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). Word spread fast and people were gathering trying to find out what happened.. 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. Caterpillar did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside normal working hours. 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. I havent seen the melting area in years, let alone the melt deck itself, so I cannot report what conditions are like. Our melting area is physically connected but operationally independent. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. Long reportedly committed suicide after losing money in the stock market. "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 Regional Administrator Bill Donovan in Chicago. 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. He is remembered as a hard-working teddy bear of a man with calloused hands and a tender heart.. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this is that the man survived at . Despite suffering 100% burns, he would die later that day in the hospital. 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. 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. The employee dropped the chain in between sprockets and pushed on one end to the east and continued sliding under the sprocket to put the master link. All rights reserved. An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. The union has also done nothing to protect workers from the unsafe conditions workers face since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Caterpillar workers: We want to hear from you. Harwood said the Thursday incident which took place at theCaterpillarMapleton Foundry was accidental and no foul play is suspected, thePeoria Journal Starreports. He was transported and admitted to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.. 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 . The dad-of-threes death comes six months after another deadly fall at the Mapleton foundry. Lean Jinghui | April 06, 2021, 05:47 PM . Fill out the form at the end of this report to share your experience about any workplace or safety issues at your facility. His services were no longer needed. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He had. Steven Dierkes was working at the Caterpillar Mapleton Foundry in Illinois, US, when the accident occurred. Users of Chinas social media platform Weibo expressed their sadness about Wangs death. Caterpillar employee immediately incinerated after falling into pot of molten iron, OSHA says, Parent volunteer charged in alleged relationship with a minor, California board denies parole for RFK killer Sirhan Sirhan, Manager shot, killed at Hobby Lobby warehouse. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Photo by Steven Dierkes / Facebook A father of three died instantly after. St Gallen police The incident took place at a factory in St Gallen in Switzerland. The chair rolled out from underneath the employee. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. A father-of-three died when he fell into a vat of molten iron, a coroner has said. Steven Dierkes, of Peoria, Illinois, died. 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. 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. The facility ships an average of 150,000 tons of finished product each year.. Wang Long . "I left. 24. Half of 39-year-old Steven Dierkess body was found lying on the floor after he supposedly fell into a crucible containing the molten iron, which was roughly 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the New York Post. The incident took place at the Caterpillar foundry in Mapleton, the Peoria County coroner told the Peoria Journal Star. Legal Statement. PHOTO | FAMILY ALBUM. 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 incident happened on Thursday, June 2, at Caterpillar's facility in Mapleton in Central Illinois, Peoria County coroner Jamie Harwood said. Anobituary for Dierkes, via PJ Star, notes the worker passed away at 9:23 a.m. from a workplace accident.. 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. He was melted in half. 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