Caterpillar is challenging fines of more than $30,000 brought forth by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration for a pair of violations levied against it after the death of an employee last June.
The agency began an investigation following the death of 28-year-old Daulton Simmers on June 6, 2024, at Caterpillar’s Mapleton foundry. He died after molten metal he was carrying spilled out and engulfed him in flames.
OSHA said that Caterpillar failed to ensure that the workspace was free of fire hazards that could cause death or serious injury and that it had failed to ensure a suitable fall protection system was used.
The initial fines of a combined $32,262 were issued on Dec. 2, 2024, with Caterpillar appealing on Dec. 23. The case remains open, according to OSHA.
More: Four deaths since 2021: Timeline of accidents at Caterpillar facilities near Peoria
When contacted by the Journal Star, Caterpillar did not provide a comment or statement on the investigation by the time of publication. After the accident, Caterpillar said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened” by Simmers’ death and that it would cooperate with authorities during an investigation.
Simmers’ death was the third in two years to take place at the Mapleton foundry and one of four in that two-year period at a Peoria-area Caterpillar facility.
In December 2021, a contractor for Schaefer Electric died after he stepped off a ladder and fell 20 feet to the floor at the Mapleton foundry. OSHA fined Schaefer and Illinois Crane $97,167 for not providing personal fall arrest systems, adequate floor hole covers, a guardrail system, not evaluating the site for hazards and not taking appropriate precautions for workers’ safety.
The fines were reduced after OSHA and Illinois Crane settled, with the amount being cut to $24,654. Caterpillar was not cited in this incident.
In June 2022, a 39-year-old Peoria man died after falling into a crucible at the foundry. OSHA cited Caterpillar for not having appropriate safety measures in place that could have prevented his death. In particular, the agency said Caterpillar didn’t ensure that employees were protected from fall hazards while working four feet from containers of super-heated molten iron.
In August 2024, a subcontractor was killed at Caterpillar’s Washington proving ground after he got stuck under an electrical control box. The Tazewell County Coroner’s Office said the man died of compressional asphyxia. OSHA began an investigation, but the case was closed in January without any citation for the company.
More: Death of West Peoria man at Caterpillar foundry ‘leaves a void in the hearts of many’
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: OSHA fines Caterpillar for violations in Mapleton foundry death
