"large piece of equipment had tipped over trapping an individual”

Incidents involving moveable equipment are well known in our industry. Incidents can come about through the interaction between workers and moveable equipment, maintenance personnel, and operators. Here is a recent incident though lacking detailed information nevertheless highlights the seriousness of this hazard.

An individual died as a result of a workplace incident at (aluminium company) one afternoon in October 2023.

According to a release from County Sheriff a worker, lost his life following an accident at (aluminium company), an aluminum scrap conversion plant. 

The release noted that around 3:15 p.m., emergency services responded to a medical call for traumatic injuries related to a workplace incident at (aluminum company) earlier this week. The release continues stating, “Deputies were advised that a large piece of equipment had tipped over trapping an individual. First responders arrived and were able to free the subject and immediately began life-saving measures. Unfortunately, these measures were unsuccessful, and the victim perished due to injuries sustained from the incident.”

The local County Sheriff’s Office worked in collaboration with the local County Coroner, to investigate the incident. The county coroner also noted that an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the precise cause of death.

A representative with (aluminum company) said that while there is no official statement on the incident, the Vice President of Operations is currently on site and an official statement could be expected within a few days. More details will be added as updates become available.

We pray for the deceased worker’s family, friends, and coworkers for their loss. The news media lacks details other than “that a large piece of equipment had tipped over trapping an individual”. We are unaware if the deceased worker was the equipment operator or nearby pedestrian. We hope this tragedy will be used to make your workplace(s) safer. How? Talk to all equipment operators about the importance of wearing seatbelts when operating any moveable equipment. Next, review the pedestrians walking around moveable equipment.

Please note that it has been 31 days since the tragedy and to our knowledge the company has not released any information nor condolences on the death of their worker.

We will update this post when we learn further information.

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