"cause of death was blunt force injuries..traumatic asphyxia..."

At the end of 2014 an incident occurred in the USA. For whatever reason the news media nor the pertinent government safety associations did not publicize this incident. Which fueled rumors. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog was contacted about our knowledge of the incident. We were unaware of the incident. Recently an industry trade journal published an article about this incident. Here is the story:

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the death of a maintenance worker at an aluminum extruding company that was fined 130,000 € by the agency for numerous safety violations in 2013.

A worker died one day during the week of November 23, 2014 following “an unfortunate and tragic event” at an aluminum extruding company in the southern United States, the plant manager tells an industry trade journal in an e-mail.

Local Police Department detective tells an industry trade journal in a statement that officers were dispatched to an aluminum extruding company, along with fire and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, in the early morning hours of one day during the week of November 23, 2014 after a call about an accident at the location.

“Officers learned a male subject, was attempting to make a repair on a malfunctioning machine when the accident occurred,” the local Police Department detective says. “Fire/EMS arrived on the scene and began to conduct CPR on the injured worker.  The injured worker was transported to the hospital, where he passed away as a result of injuries sustained from the accident.  No foul play is suspected.”

A field agent with the local county medical examiner’s office, confirms that official records of the incident describe the worker’s manner of death as an accident.

“His cause of death was blunt force injuries to the chest in combination with traumatic asphyxia,” the field agent with the local county medical examiner’s office. “He was transported from the scene to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room.”

The aluminium company plant manager says the aluminium company immediately contacted OSHA about the incident and is cooperating with the agency’s ongoing investigation. A spokesperson for the OSHA Office of Communications in Washington, D.C., says investigations typically take about six months.

“The aluminium company is mindful of its obligation to assist and not interfere with OSHA’s investigation and, therefore, is unable to provide further comment at this time,” the aluminium plant manager writes. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the deceased worker’s friends and family.”

In 2013, an industry trade journal reported that OSHA had cited the same aluminium company for over 14 safety violations that totaled 130,000 € in penalties, including failure to protect workers from the inadvertent start-up of machinery during maintenance.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog offers our sincere condolences to the deceased worker’s family, friends, and coworkers. Though the information provided in the news media story lack specifics, it does confirm the rumors that an incident did occur. Less than a year before this incident the aluminium company was cited for violations pertaining toward hazards noted in this fatal incident. The APSB will update this post if further information is put forth.

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