A Caterpillar employee was killed after falling into a furnace of 2,600-degree Fahrenheit liquid metal.
On June 2nd, Steven Dierkes, 39, was murdered instantaneously after he fell into a vat at the company’s Foundry in Mapleton, Illinois. It was his fifth day at work.
The Peoria County Sheriff’s Office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the event, but no wrongdoing is detected.
Dierkes was working near one of the massive melters in the main furnace melting area, according to a colleague, when the mishap occurred. He explained he was taking an iron sample for the meet lab and evidently just stumbled. He died immediately, but not completely.
A portion of his body was left on the deck for the examiner to recover. It must have been harrowing for those who saw it and had to wait for the examiner while half of their colleague lay on the floor.
The Mapleton Foundry, as per Caterpillar’s website, is one of the biggest in the United States, capable of melting up to 1,000 tonnes of iron every day. The foundry employs over 800 employees and converts sand and metals into solid iron block castings.
A company representative stated that they are very grieved by the loss of a staff member engaged in a tragic event on June 2 at their Mapleton, Illinois, business. Their hearts go out to this staff’s family, friends, and coworkers. Their first focus is the protection of their workers, contractors, and guests.
As per his obituary, the dad is left by “his greatest pal and life partner,” Jessica, and their three little girls Rilie Myrl, 12, Remie Jo, 5, and Tamzlinn Jean, 4.
It peruses that he was a dedicated teddy bear of a man with calloused hands and a loving heart. He would have done anything for anybody without any assumption for anything consequently. He would have given an outsider the shirt from his back despite the fact that that might have been his last shirt.
Most importantly, he was a fantastic caring father to his kids, whom he cherished.
It is the second word related casualty at the foundry in only seven months, in December, 50-year-old Scott Adams walked off a ladder before falling 20 feet to his death through a hole in the floor.
