Caterpillar Gets in Trouble After Worker Dies on the Job
(ConservativeHub.com) – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates workplaces all across the nation, making rules for safety and employee protection. The federal agency can also impose fines when companies clearly have unsafe work conditions. When a man died after fewer than two weeks on the job at Caterpillar Inc., OSHA investigated and cited the company.
On June 2, a melting specialist at Caterpillar’s Mapleton, Illinois, foundry fell into an enormous vat of molten iron. The tank was 11 feet tall, and the liquefied iron contents maintained a temperature of over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. According to OSHA, exposure to the molten metal “immediately incinerated” the man, Steven Dierkes. His obituary noted his three daughters, his “best friend and life partner,” Jessica Sutter, and many extended family members survive Dierkes.
Making this story even more tragic, Caterpillar reportedly didn’t install fall restraints or implement safety precautions that could have potentially saved this man’s life. So, on November 9, OSHA announced it cited Caterpillar Inc. with one willful violation and “proposed fines” totaling $145,027.
Caterpillar fined $145K after worker falls into pot of molten iron and is ‘immediately incinerated,’ OSHA sayshttps://t.co/kAOfHM2uKn
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) November 16, 2022
Caterpillar Inc., which produces large construction machinery and engines, was given 15 business days to pay the fine, contest it, or ask to speak further with the OSHA area director about the incident.
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