Posted on 11/15/2022 10:42:58 AM PST by Red Badger
A man was killed when he fell into a vat of molten iron at his job site.
The worker was reportedly moving a sample of iron from a furnace when he fell into a melting pot of molten iron that was heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The 39-year-old was "immediately incinerated," according to a press release by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It was just his ninth day on the job.
OSHA sent investigators to the Mapleton, Illinois foundry on June 2 after the incident. Investigators found that the facility was lacking legally required guardrails and restraint systems to protect workers from falling into dangerous equipment.
The release also said the company "routinely exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards as they worked within four feet of deep ceramic containers of super-heated molten iron."
OSHA cited and fined Caterpillar $145,027.
"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. "We implore employers to review the agency specific regulations to protect workers from falls into equipment in industrial settings."
Caterpillar has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Yup,make something idiot proof and the universe births a bigger idiot.🙄
This foundry opened in 1978, and has been modernized with new tooling periodically.
That fine has nothing to do with a personal lawsuit against Caterpillar for millions.
Lock out. Tag out. If I don’t lock it and don’t have the key in my pocket I ain’t going near it. Never. We even practice this here on the farm.
WELL DONE!
Who notified the next of kiln?
I’ve had nightmares like that :/
I worked on black liquor boilers for a few years. They made a liquid, red hot “smelt” that flowed from the boiler into a quench tank at the bottom. That stuff always scared me. It got hit with a high pressure steam jet to break it up into small bits before it hit the water in the tank, but sometimes the chemistry of the process would get out of whack and the stuff flowed like thick, sticky lava. Then those gooey blobs would hit the water and explode BOOM!
Things that you remember but you’d rather forget!
This facility is probably built in the 50’s and to an earlier standard. Usually, unless an accident on site happens, they won’t see any health and safety inspectors.
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Opened in 1970. I worked there.
That’s just the govt. fine. The workers comp. lawsuit that follows will cost them millions...
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Maximum worker’s comp. payouts are set by law in Illinois.
suffocated when his clothes got tangled in the truck’s power takeoff shaft.”
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Back in the 60s, my now deceased sister-in-law worked in a shoe factory, a very religious woman, she refused to wear jeans or slacks on the job, said it was unlady like, sure enough her dress got entangled in machinery and was ripped off her, she was left in only panties and bra. No injury except to her sensibilities. They wrapped a tarp around her and took her home.
Molten iron is far more dense than human flesh. He could not have fallen into the melt, but rather he fell onto the melt and flashed into flame. There was no quick way to pull his body out so I imagine he completely incinerated.
Whatever remained after combustion would have just been incorporated into the surface slag. The metallurgy of the main mass of iron would have been unaffected.
There will be an additional lawsuit filed by the family
Caterpillar is woke and gives money to the “right” party.
I worked one summer in a foundry. They were fairly tough on procedures but one idiot didn’t like the boot covers so didn’t wear them. Long story short he ended up with molten iron poured inside his boot. He was an ass and no one liked him. Almost cheered when this happened.
Just like the Death Star. No railings.
FTA: lacking legally required guardrails and restraint systems to protect workers from falling into dangerous equipment.
Unngh!
Wingsuit skydiver was decapitated by plane’s wing 20 seconds into jump: trial
By Snejana Farberov
Published Sep. 21, 2023, 9:22 a.m. ET
https://nypost.com/2023/09/21/wingsuit-skydiver-was-decapitated-by-planes-wing/
Unngh
Maybe they should jut make the coffee their first couple of weeks and watch training videos.
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