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.
That is one reason why I do not jump out of a perfectly good aircraft.................
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