An Illinois man who was recently hired has died after falling into molten iron during his first week on the job.
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Steve Dierkes, 39, died on the job last week after falling into the vat at the Caterpillar Foundry in Mapleton. According to TOO FAB, a co-worker said Dierkes was working near one of the large melters in the main area and the Peoria Sheriff’s Office has suspected no foul play during their investigation. The employee said Dierkes’ body didn’t fall all the way and he died “instantly.”
“He was taking a sample of iron for the met lab and apparently just tripped. He died instantly, but not all of him went in. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve. 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 death occurred on one of the large melters in the main foundry melting area,” Ron said. “I haven’t seen the melting area in years, let alone the melt deck itself, so I cannot report what conditions are like. Our melting area is physically connected but operationally independent. Word spread fast and people were gathering trying to find out what happened.”
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Caterpillar released a statement in the wake of the tragic workplace incident.
“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. Our thoughts are with this employee’s family, friends and colleagues. The safety of our employees, contractors, and visitors is our top priority.”
He is survived by his wife Jessica and their three daughters, Rilie Myrl,12, Remie Jo,5, and Tamzlinn Jean,4. His obituary reads that he was known as a hard worker who had a “tender heart.”
“He was a hard-working teddy bear of a man with calloused hands and a tender heart. He would have done anything for anyone with no expectation of anything in return. He would have given a stranger the shirt from his back even though that may have been his last shirt. Most of all, he was a wonderful loving father to his daughters that he absolutely adored.”
OSHA officials said this was the second death at the facility in seven months. Employee Scott Adams,50, stepped off of a ladder before falling 20 feet to his death through a hole in the floor. Caterpillar said in the following statement in reference to Adams’ death:
“We are deeply saddened by the death of a third-party service provider employee who was involved in an accident in our Mapleton facility on December 23. Our thoughts are with the worker’s family, friends and colleagues. We strive each day to have a safe workspace for our employees, contractors, and visitors. As this accident is currently under review, we are not able to provide any additional information at this time.”