The union has also done nothing to protect workers from the unsafe conditions workers face since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. Steven Dierkes, 39, was taking a sample from the 1,400C crucible when he tripped and fell in, killing him. The facility ships an average of 150,000 tons of finished product each year.. Scott M. Adams' identity was . 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. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. 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 . The video showing the man slapping hot molten liquid first surfaced in 2018. Steven Dierkes, 39, was working near a crucible . The UAW has done nothing to stop the increasing safety hazards happening, as the repeat violations and injuries at the facility reveal. The horrific death of the employee has raised questions over safety and health violations at the factory among workers and locals. Man in China jumps into molten-steel furnace after allegedly losing money on stock market. 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. Another employee claimed on social media that Dierkes had only been there for five days and didnt have sufficient training to be on the iron floor, according to WSWS. Steven Dierkes, 39, was left with half his body lying on a factory floor after he . Wang Long . Harwood said the Thursday incident which took place at theCaterpillarMapleton Foundry was accidental and no foul play is suspected, thePeoria Journal Starreports. Four thousand pounds of molten steel poured into an open pit after the lid blew off a caster at the foundry Wednesday at 5 p.m. Copyright 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. Mr. Thompson, 55, saw the ladle drop and tried to run, but the molten metal caught up with him. In November 2019, OSHA fined Caterpillar $4,337 for a serious health and safety violation at the Mapleton facility. 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. Word spread fast and people were gathering trying to find out what happened.. In 2013, a line at our foundry was eliminated. Steven Dierkes, worker who died after accidentally falling into vat of molten iron in Illinois on June 2, 2022. "I left. 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. An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. He lost more than one million yuan (equivalent to 152,000 US dollars) on the stock exchange, the police said in a statement. A 50-year-old East Peoria man working at the Caterpillar Inc. Mapleton foundry fell to his death Thursday, according to the Peoria County Sheriff's Office. Dierkes was only on the ninth day of his new job when he died. A disturbing surveillance video allegedly showing a man jumping into a blast furnace and taking his own life has shocked Chinese internet users. 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, called Ron to protect his identity claims the death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area.. Whose leak is it anyway? A veteran Caterpillar worker, who wishes to remain anonymous, told theWorld Socialist Web Site(WSWS), that Dierkes was taking a sample of iron for the met lab and apparently just tripped.. The 39-year-old employee was only on his ninth day at the job when he died. I havent seen the melting area in years, let alone the melt deck itself, so I cannot report what conditions are like. The safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority.. 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. 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." has received a violation and faces $145,027 worth in fines. He had lost over a million yuan $152,000 in the stock market, officials said. An Illinois foundry worker died following an accidental fall into 1,400-degrees Celsius molten iron crucible, which burned half of his body. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Dierkes death was the third in 30 years since Ron had started working there. MAPLETON, Ill. (Gray News) 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 Safety and Health Administration. More than six months after his death, the investigation is still underway. The crane began moving and struck the employee. The death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area, Ron said. Ron, the veteran Caterpillar worker, noted that speedups and outsourcing of the workforce have created increasingly deadly conditions, A number of operations like chip and grind have been outsourced, he said. 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. I received a text from my boss early evening last night that we were not to return to work until Monday. This is the second death. 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. 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. Wang Long, 34, went missing from a. Ron was unable to report on the conditions of the foundry melting area. The worker was "immediately incinerated" in the incident, which occurred in June, per the Department of Labor. International Committee of the Fourth International. The incident occurred at Caterpillar's foundry in Mapleton, Illinois on June 2, 2022. A federal investigation determined that, if proper safety guards had been installed, the death could have been avoided, OSHA 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.". Thanks for contacting us. 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. Make your voice heard! Steven Dierkes, 39, was killed instantly when he stumbled into . He died instantly, but not all of him went in. This was told to the union official down at that particular place of employment. 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. Its very punishing work with a lot of carpal tunnel and similar injuries. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. The employee was. All rights reserved. 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. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) WMBD/WYZZ is following up on a report of a Liberty Steel worker falling into a vat of acid in Peoria Monday. 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. Tata Steel has been fined 500,000 after a Port Talbot worker was fatally injured after a fall into molten waste. The UAW betrayed two strikes by Caterpillar workers, in 1991-1992 and in a protracted 17-month-long strike in 1994-1995, which ended with the imposition of the hated two-tier system and a 30 percent cut in wages for new hires by 1998. Another Caterpillar worker moved his wife and eight children from Oklahoma to find work at the Mapleton facility. (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. On June 2, a 39-year-old melting specialist died at a Caterpillar-owned foundry in Mapleton, Illinois, after falling into an "11-foot-deep" pot of molten iron that had been heated to over. Steven Dierkes, of Peoria, Illinois, died instantly after he was presumably working alongside a crucible when he fell in, according to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood. Caterpillar has 15 business days penalties to comply, request a conference or contest the findings. Peoria County deputies were called to the facility around 10am last week when a man fell into a vat of molten iron at 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit and died on the spot. In articles which talked about the video that time, the man was identified as an Armenian steel worker named Arkady . Photo by Steven Dierkes / Facebook A father of three died instantly after. Caterpillar workers: Wed like to hear from you. Full details have not been released by OSHA for either case. He is survived by his life partner Jessica Sutter and their three daughters. Investigators with OSHA found that the foundry regularly exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards as they worked close to deep containers of molten iron. 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 . Everyone likes a good party trick, but the star of a viral Reddit video set a new standard for mind-boggling stunts when he passed his bare hand through a stream of molten metal. He had. This story has been shared 106,884 times. It was only the employees ninth day on the job. Anobituary for Dierkes, via PJ Star, notes the worker passed away at 9:23 a.m. from a workplace accident.. A father-of-three was killed instantly at work following an accident involving molten iron at almost 1,500C. Chris Watkins said. Another worker, who identified himself as Ron, said the death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area. In 1998, A man named Allen Wardle survived for six hours after falling 20ft into a 450C vat of molten zinc at a factory in Essex. 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. The dad-of-threes death comes six months after another deadly fall at the Mapleton foundry. I havent seen the melting area in years, let alone the melt deck itself, so I cannot report what conditions are like. Dierkes' death was the second to occur at the Mapleton foundry in six months. "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," expressed OSHA Regional Administrator Bill Donovan in Chicago. This story has been shared 106,884 times. 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. An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. Place is dangerous AF and doesn't leave much room for stupid even with all the safety regs. That job was sent out to a contractor and they continued to do that very same job in that very same spot on the floor, with the very same equipment that our people did., Caterpillar outsourced work in order to reduce workers compensation payments, Mitchell alleged. According to his obituary, Dierkes is survived by his partner Jessica Sutter and their three daughters. Following Adams incident, Caterpillar released a statement toNBC Chicagosaying an investigation was underway and the company was deeply saddened., The company said: Our thoughts are with the workers family, friends and colleagues., The Mapleton Foundry is described onCaterpillars websiteas one of the largest in the United States., Caterpillar explains: It can melt up to 1,000 tons of iron each day to produce finished castings ranging from 15lb liners to 22,000lb cylinder blocks.. The safety of our employees, contractors and visitors is our top priority., Dierkes reportedly fell just before 10 am, and an anonymous employee told the World Socialist Web Site, that Dierkes was taking a sample of iron for the met lab and apparently just tripped.. The incident took place at the Caterpillar foundry in Mapleton, the Peoria County coroner told the Peoria Journal Star. "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," said OSHA Regional Administrator Bill Donovan in Chicago. They didnt fix the job. The company was established in 1867 in the Nicetown area of Germantown, Philadelphia by William Butcher. We were into professional wrestling, so every Friday night, wed get together with friends and wed try wrestling moves on each other. 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. He allegedly fell 20 feet while climbing a ladder. These components are the foundation for the companys 115-6,600hp (86- 4,920 kW) engine platforms, the company adds. All comments will be published anonymously. Another worker noted in a social media post that Steven hadonly been there for 5 days and he should not have been on the iron floor without sufficient training. On June 2, a 39-year-old melting specialist who had been on the job for only nine days was removing a sample of iron from a furnace at a foundry in Mapleton, Illinois when he fell into a. 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. The incident happened on Thursday, June 2, at Caterpillar's facility in Mapleton in Central Illinois, Peoria County coroner Jamie Harwood said. 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. St Gallen police The incident took place at a factory in St Gallen in Switzerland. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "If required safety guards or fall protection had been installed, the 39-year-old employee's ninth day on the job might not have been their last.". Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. Federal safety regulations require employers to install guardrails or covers to protect workers from falling into dangerous equipment. Steven Dierkes, of Peoria, Illinois, was. Having molten lead or gold poured down your throat, they . On Dec. 17, 1997, while working at Steel Dynamics in Butler, Miller fell into a 5-foot-deep vat of 950-degree zinc. 2. Deputies were called to the facility around 10 a.m. on Thursday morning in regards to an occupational accident, Peoria County Sheriffs Office Capt. A 39-year-old Caterpillar worker, Steven Dierkes, died instantly last Thursday after falling into a molten iron crucible at the companys Mapleton, Illinois foundry. Fill out the form at the end of this report to share your experience about any workplace or safety issues at your facility. as well as other partner offers and accept our. They dropped a 10-ton hook and block from an overhead gantry crane on a man during the strike, he said of the first fatality decades ago. Users of Chinas social media platform Weibo expressed their sadness about Wangs death. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. Was heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. OSHA cited Caterpillar Inc. for one willful violation. A 25-year-old electrician has had a miracle escape after falling into a furnace filled with liquid aluminium at 720C/1,328F.Incredibly, despite the searing p. 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. 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. I dont know what time it happened but by 10:20 a.m. the entire facility was sent home. 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 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. Police have ruled Wangs death a suicide. A man was killed instantly at work after tripping and falling into a vat of molten iron which was almost 1,500C. Steven Dierkes, 39, was left with half his body lying on . Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this is that the man survived at . He had been on a gantry at a galvanising factory in Witham, Essex. 24. An Illinois man died instantly after tripping and partially falling into a vat of molten iron. What a pity that he lost his life at such a young age!. If required safety guards or fall protection had been installed, the 39-year-old employee's ninth day on the job might not have been their last.. 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. The employee who died was a melting specialist who was removing a sample of iron from a furnace when he fell into the melting pot. Comes six months after another deadly fall at the end of this to! 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