Chris Watkins said. Federal safety regulations require employers to install guardrails or covers to protect workers from falling into dangerous equipment. The death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area, Ron said. "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.". A 39-year-old worker tragically died after falling into a vat of molten iron which was almost 1,500C. He was transported and admitted to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.. According to his obituary, Dierkes is survived by his partner Jessica Sutter and their three daughters. The facility ships an average of 150,000 tons of finished product each year.. 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. Tell us what conditions are like in your workplace. It was told to the members in a factory meeting. Harwood said the Thursday incident which took place at theCaterpillarMapleton Foundry was accidental and no foul play is suspected, thePeoria Journal Starreports. One of them being, if the hooks fall out of the block or gating or whatever just get back and let it all fall. 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. Caterpillar workers: Wed like to hear from you. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Last December, Scott Adams of East Peoria fell to his death. We naturally grew up together. The horrific death of the employee has raised questions over safety and health violations at the factory among workers and locals. 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. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. A foundry worker in Mapleton, Illinois, died in June after falling into a vat of molten iron. 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. Mr. Tiller, who had just finished on the shift that ended at 7 a.m., heard the fire alarm. 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. Soros-backed Spanish radio stations out to 'disinform' Mia 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Family raises 250-pound 'dog' for 2 years then realizes it's a bear, Influencer refuses to switch business class seats so family can sit together, Teen Mom alum Ryan Edwards arrested after stalking wife Mackenzie, Kim Kardashian models thong bikini, belly chain in sexy new pics, Kyle Richards gives an update on her friendship with RHOBH alum Lisa Rinna, Good luck 'worming' your way out of this one, Sunny Hostin Points Finger at China for COVID Crisis: Did Not Cooperate With the International Community, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle confirm they were asked to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage. Steven Dierkes was working at the Caterpillar Mapleton Foundry in Illinois, US, when the accident occurred. Thanks for contacting us. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. 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. Another Caterpillar worker moved his wife and eight children from Oklahoma to find work at the Mapleton facility. 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. In November 2019, OSHA fined Caterpillar $4,337 for a serious health and safety violation at the Mapleton facility. I've moved away from my family. A father-of-three died when he fell into a vat of molten iron, a coroner has said. A 25-year-old electrician had a serious brush with death after falling into a 720 C vat of molten aluminium. Sam Courtney-Guy Wednesday 8 Jun 2022 10:09 am. 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. 0:57. International Committee of the Fourth International. 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. The recent history of OSHA violations point to a pattern of unsafe conditions for workers. Wang Long, 34, went missing from a. Man falls into 720C molten aluminium furnace but survives after pulling himself out The 25-year-old Swiss man suffered extensive burns but survived to tell the tale. 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. Steven Dierkes, 39, was left with half his body lying on a factory floor after he . An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. OSHA cited Caterpillar Inc. for one willful violation. 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. 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. A service celebrating his life will take place on June 9, 2022, at noon in Bloomington, Illinois. More than six months after his death, the investigation is still underway. All comments will be published anonymously. The electrician fell tumbled into a furnace filled with the melted metal while at work in St. 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. 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 employee was. The employee was hospitalized with multiple fractures and body trauma., In July 2017, Caterpillar was fined $5,079 for an incident in which a worker sustained six broken ribs. St Gallen police The incident took place at a factory in St Gallen in Switzerland. Market data provided byFactset. Steven Dierkes, 39, from Peoria, who was working alongside a crucible at iron-melting factory. In 2013, a line at our foundry was eliminated. I havent seen the melting area in years, let alone the melt deck itself, so I cannot report what conditions are like. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US . Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. In December 2021, 50-year-old Scott M. Adams also took a fatal plunge in the factory. 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. 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. The Midvale Steel Company manufactured steel parts for the railroad and the armaments industries. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Putins former spin doctor-turned-critic dead, Billionaire who killed self mourned by Clintons, Dr. Oz at NYC funeral, Family of nuclear physicist who died by suicide in jail cell sues US Government, Pentagon panel says military bases should stop selling guns to troops under 25 to prevent suicides. China Steel Factory Suicide Our melting area is physically connected but operationally independent. Federal safety regulations require employers to install guardrails and restraint systems to protect workers from falls into dangerous equipment like Dierkes suffered. Worker dies in molten metal tragedy A 52-year-old man has died after falling into a vat of molten zinc. When he arrived at St. Joseph Medical Center in Fort Wayne, molten metal had . Skip to content. He allegedly fell 20 feet while climbing a ladder. Kevin Downey, 49, fell five years after being hailed a hero for his actions after . The video showing the man slapping hot molten liquid first surfaced in 2018. 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." The fatal accident occurred at a meat processing plant when 41-year-old cleaner Hugo Avalos Chanon fell into a running meat blender while cleaning it. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He just disappeared instantly, a worker who saw the surveillance footage told the Xiaoxiang Morning Post. She broke her arm, he said, she damaged her knee, and she lost her job. And he added of the UAWs inability to protect the worker, because I got the complaint late, she lost her house and she ended up living in her car.. The employee was attempting to retrieve a part from a machine. 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. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. The Mapleton, Illinois Caterpillar facility has been the site of numerous safety and health violations in the past 30 years since the sellout of Caterpillar workers by the UAW in the 1990s. "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. An Illinois man died instantly after he allegedly fell into a vat of molten iron in early June. 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 . Steven's family remembered him as a 'teddy bear of a man' who 'adored' his daughters. Word spread fast and people were gathering trying to find out what happened.. TESLA'S TEXAS GIGAFACTORY FACES MORE COMPLAINTS OF ALLEGED LABOR VIOLATIONS, "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," OSHA Regional Administrator Bill Donovan in Chicago said in a statement. 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. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. "We implore employers to review the agency specific regulations to protect workers from falls into equipment in industrial settings.". 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided byRefinitiv Lipper. Caterpillar Inc. is facing more than $145,000 in fines from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration because an employee fell into a pot of molten iron over the summer. 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. A Caterpillar spokesperson told The Associated Press the company "will continue to engage with OSHA to seek an appropriate resolution to its review.". 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. 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. All comments will be kept anonymous. 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