Dude was taking a sample of iron to the lab. He tripped and part of him fell(I'm guessing his upper body) into a 2,600 degree container that melts iron. The other part of his body was in tact, on the floor. He had only been on the job for 5 days and shouldnt have been in that area without sufficient training.
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. This is the second death of a worker in the last six months at the Caterpillar facility, which has faced increasing safety violations in recent years.
Dierkes, a resident of Peoria, was apparently working near the crucible, where different metals are melted at a temperature of over 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit, when he fell in. An investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as well as the sheriff and coroner’s offices is presently underway.
“Steven Dierkes lived down the street from me when we were kids,” said Jermaine Pigee, who mourned his friend’s death in a social media post. “We naturally grew up together. We were into professional wrestling, so every Friday night, we’d get together with friends and we’d try wrestling moves on each other. Then, we’d play video games all night. RIP, buddy.”
Ron, a veteran Caterpillar worker whose name has been changed to protect him from retaliation, told the World Socialist Web Site, “He was taking a sample of iron for the met lab and apparently just tripped. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. 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 foundry at Mapleton produces multiple engine castings using various combinations of metals, which are poured into various molds in different pour zones that produce engine blocks, heads, liners and other manufacturing components.
“The death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area,” Ron said. “I haven’t 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. Word spread fast and people were gathering trying to find out what happened.
“I don’t know what time it happened but by 10:20 a.m. the entire facility was sent home. I received a text from my boss early evening last night that we were not to return to work until Monday. Presumably the company would have their whitewash mixed by then,” he added.
Another worker noted in a social media post that Steven had “only been there for 5 days” and he should not have been on the iron floor without sufficient training.
In a perfunctory and hollow statement, a spokesperson for Caterpillar stated, “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 employee’s family, friends and colleagues. The safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority.”
Caterpillar worker falls into molten iron crucible and dies at Mapleton, Illinois foundry
A 39-year-old Caterpillar worker fell into a molten iron crucible of over 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit and died immediately last Thursday at the company’s Mapleton, Illinois foundry. He is the second worker to die at the facility in six months.
www.wsws.org
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. This is the second death of a worker in the last six months at the Caterpillar facility, which has faced increasing safety violations in recent years.
Dierkes, a resident of Peoria, was apparently working near the crucible, where different metals are melted at a temperature of over 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit, when he fell in. An investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as well as the sheriff and coroner’s offices is presently underway.
“Steven Dierkes lived down the street from me when we were kids,” said Jermaine Pigee, who mourned his friend’s death in a social media post. “We naturally grew up together. We were into professional wrestling, so every Friday night, we’d get together with friends and we’d try wrestling moves on each other. Then, we’d play video games all night. RIP, buddy.”
Ron, a veteran Caterpillar worker whose name has been changed to protect him from retaliation, told the World Socialist Web Site, “He was taking a sample of iron for the met lab and apparently just tripped. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. 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 foundry at Mapleton produces multiple engine castings using various combinations of metals, which are poured into various molds in different pour zones that produce engine blocks, heads, liners and other manufacturing components.
“The death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area,” Ron said. “I haven’t 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. Word spread fast and people were gathering trying to find out what happened.
“I don’t know what time it happened but by 10:20 a.m. the entire facility was sent home. I received a text from my boss early evening last night that we were not to return to work until Monday. Presumably the company would have their whitewash mixed by then,” he added.
Another worker noted in a social media post that Steven had “only been there for 5 days” and he should not have been on the iron floor without sufficient training.
In a perfunctory and hollow statement, a spokesperson for Caterpillar stated, “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 employee’s family, friends and colleagues. The safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority.”