St Gallen police The incident took place at a factory in St Gallen in Switzerland. The facility ships an average of 150,000 tons of finished product each year.. He fell onto a concrete floor. 0:00. While the new worker was on his probationary period for training, he was fired for reporting a part that fell out of a fixture, causing him a minor injury. 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. He lost more than one million yuan (equivalent to 152,000 US dollars) on the stock exchange, the police said in a statement. Mr. Tiller, who had just finished on the shift that ended at 7 a.m., heard the fire alarm. "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. Full details have not been released by OSHA for either case. In April 2020, a 47-year-old man also committed suicide in China for similar reasons by jumping from a high-rise building in a hospital in the city of Putian, the news outlet reported. Skip to content. 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. 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. 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. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Caitlyn Jenners mom Esther slams Kardashians show as senseless, Major update in case of Purple Heart recipient, 45, who faked his death at sea, Dad who slit daughters throat after raping & sexually torturing her, Girl, 17, gang-raped in car by five men who offered her a ride after a party. FAQ - New Privacy Policy, Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com. The company would "continue to engage with OSHA to seek an appropriate resolution to its review," the spokesperson added. Was heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It added that he would have done anything for anyone with no expectation of anything in return. 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. Chris Watkins said. The worker was "immediately. When he arrived at St. Joseph Medical Center in Fort Wayne, molten metal had . Steven Dierkes, 39 had started working for Caterpillar Mapleton Foundry in Peoria County only five days previously, when he took a sample of iron for the met lab and 'apparently just tripped' according to an anonymous veteran factory worker, who used the . Kevin Downey, 49, fell five years after being hailed a hero for his actions after . The company said Wang went missing March 24 while on night duty at the facility, prompting a search by fellow workers. The facility was also fined $17,711 for multiple serious infractions such as fall protection systems and falling objects in May 2019. 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 safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority.. 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. A man was killed instantly at work after tripping and falling into a vat of molten iron which was almost 1,500C. An OSHA investigation found "the foundry routinely exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards" while they worked within 4 feet of containers of molten iron. 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. Swiss man survives after falling into molten aluminium The 25-year-old electrician fell through a trapdoor into a vat of burning hot metal, but somehow managed to pull himself out and is now being treated for his burns in hospital. The U.S. Department . "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 disturbing surveillance video allegedly showing a man jumping into a blast furnace and taking his own life has shocked Chinese internet users. Tom Wood. What a pity that he lost his life at such a young age!. Caterpillar did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside normal working hours. Caterpillar workers: Wed like to hear from you. He had been on a gantry at a galvanising factory in Witham, Essex. FILE: Construction machines of Caterpillar Inc. (Gen Yuhe/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images). 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Our melting area is physically connected but operationally independent. I received a text from my boss early evening last night that we were not to return to work until Monday. It was only his ninth day on the job, OSHA said. 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. 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. Whose leak is it anyway? Copyright 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. We naturally grew up together. This was told to the union official down at that particular place of employment. The incident occurred at Caterpillar's foundry in Mapleton, Illinois on June 2, 2022. Investigators with OSHA found that the foundry regularly exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards as they worked close to deep containers of molten iron. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The employee was. 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. He was transported and admitted to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.. His co-workers said he had been trading stocks and futures for a long time. 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. 2. Another Caterpillar worker moved his wife and eight children from Oklahoma to find work at the Mapleton facility. I havent seen the melting area in years, let alone the melt deck itself, so I cannot report what conditions are like. The electrician fell tumbled into a furnace filled with the melted metal while at work in St. Steven Dierkes, 39, from Peoria, who was working alongside a crucible at iron-melting factory. Sam Courtney-Guy Wednesday 8 Jun 2022 10:09 am. Last December, Scott Adams of East Peoria fell to his death. 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. Long reportedly committed suicide after losing money in the stock market. The reason it was outsourced is because of high injury numbers and workers comp experience, he said. 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. An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. Side-effects may include nausea, diarrhea, high blood pressure, abdominal pain, mood disorders, and death. Caterpillar workers: We want to hear from you. as well as other partner offers and accept our. The video showing the man slapping hot molten liquid first surfaced in 2018. 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 . 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. Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said that no foul play is suspected, according to the Peoria Journal Star. 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. He and his family are in all of our thoughts and prayers. The death of the worker has gone unacknowledged by the UAW International so far. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. A steel factory worker in China jumped into a blast furnace and died late last month after discovering he lost more than $9,000 on the stock market, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.. Wang Long, a 34-year-old worker at the state-owned Baotou Steel company in Inner Mongolia, had been working on his night shift on March 24 when he went missing, according to the South China Morning Post. . 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. (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. Steven Dierkes, 39, from Peoria, who was working alongside a crucible at iron-melting factory. Steven Dierkes was working at the Caterpillar Mapleton Foundry in Illinois, US, when the accident occurred. 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. 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. A federal investigation determined that, if proper safety guards had been installed, the death could have been avoided, OSHA said. No foul play is suspected in Dierkes death, but it is still under investigation by the Sheriffs office, coroners office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the PJ Star reported. According to his obituary, Dierkes is survived by his partner Jessica Sutter and their three daughters. Federal safety regulations require employers to install guardrails and restraint systems to protect workers from falls into dangerous equipment like Dierkes suffered. Per federal safety regulations, Caterpillar Inc. was required to install guardrails or some type of restraint to protect their employees. Steven Dierkes, 39, was taking a sample from the 1,400C crucible when he tripped and fell in, killing him. On Dec. 17, 1997, while working at Steel Dynamics in Butler, Miller fell into a 5-foot-deep vat of 950-degree zinc. The five injured employees were standing around the pit, Cambria County . Our melting area is physically connected but operationally independent. {Read More: The death of Steven Dierkes: A victim of Americas industrial slaughterhouse}, Steven Dierkes lived down the street from me when we were kids, said Jermaine Pigee, who mourned his friends death in a social media post. Caterpillar was fined $145,027 by OSHA for for not installing a guardrail or travel restraint at a foundry outside Peoria. The crane began moving and struck the employee. He said 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. At 10:00 a.m. on July 25, 2017, an employee was working in the iron foundry of a manufacturer of construction equipment. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Investigators say if safety guards were installed, if might have prevented the accident. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. Word spread fast and people were gathering trying to find out what happened. They just handed off the injuries to another employer. The unidentified worker explained: He died instantly, but not all of him went in. Lean Jinghui | April 06, 2021, 05:47 PM . It was told to the members in a factory meeting. 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. 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. Caterpillar has 15 business days penalties to comply, request a conference or contest the findings. Caterpillars production demands almost invariably lead to accidents due to rushing.. 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. 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"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.". 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. 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. The Midvale Steel Company manufactured steel parts for the railroad and the armaments industries. In January 2019, OSHA fined Caterpillar $10,419 for an incident where a workers finger was severed on the job at the facility. Dierkes death remains under investigation by the Peoria County Coroners office, the Sheriffs Office, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They proposed a fine of $145,027 for foundry operator Caterpillar. 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 dad-of-threes death comes six months after another deadly fall at the Mapleton foundry. An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. 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. Gordon Hickman, 41, was operating a massive ladle near the rim of the 35-foot pit just before noon when he fell into it, moments before the 2,600-degree steel was poured in, said Battalion Chief John Whitlatch of the Canton Fire Department. Kevin Downey. He had. The death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area, Ron said. An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. California resident turns tables on thief, taking his gun 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. From Oklahoma to find out what happened, the death could have been avoided, OSHA Caterpillar! 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