PEORIA, Ill. – A federal agency has cited third-party contractors working at Caterpillar’s Mapleton Foundry for a death that happened last December.
OSHA is proposing $87,016 in fines against Illinois Crane, and another $10,151 to Schaefer Electric.
On December 23, 2021, as Illinois Crane asked Schaefer Electric to provide a bid for moving an electrical junction box as part of a construction project on site, and during an evaluation, OSHA says a man identified by the Peoria County Coroner as Scott Adams, 50, fell 24 feet through a floor hole and died.
“Our investigation found that the use of required fall protection could have prevented this tragedy,” said OSHA Area Director Barry Salerno in Peoria, in a news release. “Falls are one of the leading causes of serious injuries and deaths in the construction industry, and too often employees work at heights greater than 6 feet without fall safety equipment. Employers are legally obligated to follow safety standards and protect workers.”
OSHA cited Illinois Crane with one willful violation, and Schaefer Electric with a serious violation — both for essentially not preventing the fall.
The two companies have 15 days from receipt of the violation to appeal.
This news comes as an investigation into a death earlier this month at the Mapleton Foundry continues. Steven Dierkes, 39, fell through flooring into a crucible there.
