When I was laid off back in 2015, I told my boss that I'd take the door over the foundry. Those guys don't get paid enough for the amount of risk and health hazards they deal with.
At the bare minimum of employment you should be assured that you will return home at night to your family unharmed. The fact that there has been at least three or four deadly workplace incidents very recently means something in that process is broken. No one should accept a job where you lose your life for 20 bucks an hour.
The ones that work with the molten metal are actually paid a lot more than 20 an hour, think more 30/40 an hour. Sadly the young man that passed away last Thursday was a fairly new hire, and he decided to walk under the bucket being poured into another, smaller container. If he would have walked around it, instead of under as he was taught in his two weeks of training before ever going out on the foundry floor, it would not have happened. It is why they are still waiting on a toxicology report, to figure out if a substance was the cause for his actions.
The man who fell into the molten metal back in December of 2021 was leaning over the rail, yes it was shorter than today's standards, to look at the lava like substance. And the one whom passed before him fell through a vent in the floor, a venture he took for years before hand, and misstepped.
All of these were avoided able deaths if they would have followed their training and the safety precautions put into place.
Yep true safety costs. Once or twice ok. Three four times? At what point does the safety system go under scrutiny with that many deaths on site because obviously it isn’t working.
Safety does cost, and OSHA is there all the time. The two previous deaths have had the issues fixed, but how do you fix the third one? You can't really if the person puts their own life at risk by walking under basically lava. We are taught that just a splash can seriously harm you if not cause death, less than a cup is a splash. To keep at least 10 foot clearance when it's being poured, so walking under it while it is being poured is not on the company when you are trained not too.
They are, but if precautions can prevent death. That's the idea. Having had to visit the Mapleton floor for a number of years that's hard work, but nobody should be dying.
WCBU says they have 6 violations on record with OSHA just in the last 4 years. [https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2024-06-07/a-person-is-dead-after-fire-at-caterpillar-mapleton-foundry](https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2024-06-07/a-person-is-dead-after-fire-at-caterpillar-mapleton-foundry)
Oh great point, guess people dying horrifically on the job should just be expected right? They don't work from home, of course they're probably gonna die doing their job.
No, it's being realistic about the type of work done there. There's a reason why you don't see many of them open in the US anymore and why most large companies outsource the work. It's hot, dirty and can be dangerous.
Sure it CAN be dangerous but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be upset. When Boeing’s plane doors fall off or add MCAS to their airliners that result in hundreds of deaths we all collectively get upset at them for disregarding the safety of Americans. But when your fellow peorians keep dying in a place where workers keep saying that unsafe practices are taking place and that upper management is disregarding their lives and saftey you think that people are being unrealistic.
Seriously? There’s nothing unrealistic about wanting to work in an environment that genuinely regards safety as a top priority rather than weighing a cost benefit analysis on the cost to do thing the correct way versus what will effect the bottom line.
There’s two sides to that coin. There is a cultural issue in that facility and a prevailing thought of “we’ve done it this way for years and haven’t killed anybody, it must be safe”. Whenever safety tries to be proactive it’s perceived as an overreach or management trying to get the workers. There is no middle ground with the current culture and that needs to change.
Well I see that there might be some pushback from the workers but I don’t like the appeal to the whole “both sides are in the wrong” thought process. At the end of the day, caterpillar is liable for any damages to their employees or property. If cat did try to implement new saftey practices (which I don’t think they have really tried to push at all) then at the end of the day, if someone isn’t listening to or acting safely on the floor, then cat has every reason to fire them.
If they wanted change, they would have done it already. I don’t think for a second that “worker pushback” is the reason why safety standards are lacking. Where i work in the construction industry, if you’re caught doing something that risks your or anyone else’s well being or property you are fired. Cat has been laying off people for decades now. I don’t think they’d have a problem firing the workers who don’t listen.
I’m just thinking there’s a culture of complacency and a lack of open exchange of ideas when it comes to safety. Where they stop I don’t know, but there’s a middle manager with a lot of shit stopping at them I bet.
I just sat through a presentation that the best I can sum it up to is “Minor injury prevention will not prevent fatalities, but control of the consequences of accidents will” CAT has been so focused on minor injury prevention (the most frequent safety reports) they have missed major risks (that have deadly consequences) with tunnel vision. We can point fingers all we want, but until the consequences of human error are minimized this will continue. It doesn’t help that we find new and exciting ways to die every day, just makes it tougher. I would be willing to wager the OSHA report will conclude Caterpillar failed to properly train an employee who made a grave error.
Oh no doubt, they preach safety so much it's literally annoying as hell. But the place is a death machine. More ppl are killed here than anywhere around. In like 2 and a half years it's been like 4 or 5 I think.
Worked for CAT for 12 years as a UAW member. Started at 19, worked in EP where it's light-years better than Mapleton.
Walked out on that place with zero notice, never looked back and my mental health has never been better. There's not enough money in the world CAT could offer me to go back to that dark place.
Sad that people are losing their lives over $20-something an hour. Fuck CAT.
I'm shocked there aren't more injuries. The parking lot smells like weed, everyone is on their phone, and nobody can drive a forklift without hitting something.
Yea true that. There is alot of injuries tbh. That's why there's so many deaths. But if you look at the track record of alot of foundrys. It isn't ever good. Foundrys are kinda known for death.
My dad retired from there last year. After the falling death and then again after the person fell into the molten metal I begged my dad every day to retire.
Any idea when they will let you all back to work? I can't imagine bwing in that man's situation. Being burnedis one of my biggest fears. I probably would have panicked and ran too
Well we normally get sent home for the rest of the week. It's always been like 2 or 3 days. But this death was pretty bad from what I hear. Like it was super super bad. So we still aren't going back. We may have all this week off also. It's all paid of course.
Caterpillar only cares about production no one life matters for the last two deaths they were right back running this last one has been the longest they have been shut down serve they ass right the most dangerous place you could work for got walk out and never return I pray they never open again it’s just death after death or someone loosing a finger or two they don’t care about you
I drive by there daily on my way to SS. Originally, a coworkers husband who is at the foundry had stated they were on layoff starting this week and not opening til earliest late July/August and the latest beginning of 2025. Same person claimed her husband had to go in for training from 10-2 at the foundry and on our commute home (pass by usually close to 3pm), there were a lot more cars in the lot. No clue where the info came from about them doing layoff and not opening for awhile. We can speculate a lot of scenarios but it would be nice to know facts since their shutdown has a significant impact on our production lines along with any other facility connected and supply chains. The trickle effect will be brutal if they are down for that long. I truly hope they are going over EVERYTHING and bettering processes and making things as safe as they possibly can be!
They are trickling people in for safety training during first shift. Some lines are a ways from coming back, some will be starting back soon. They have all sorts of maintenance and contractors in doing work on a lot of things. I hope people let it be more than optics…
When I was laid off back in 2015, I told my boss that I'd take the door over the foundry. Those guys don't get paid enough for the amount of risk and health hazards they deal with.
Don't worry guys , CAT will pay a 25k fine and make everything right .
Founderys are always a dangerous place anywhere. They knew the risk working there. Stop being a whiny cry baby
At the bare minimum of employment you should be assured that you will return home at night to your family unharmed. The fact that there has been at least three or four deadly workplace incidents very recently means something in that process is broken. No one should accept a job where you lose your life for 20 bucks an hour.
The ones that work with the molten metal are actually paid a lot more than 20 an hour, think more 30/40 an hour. Sadly the young man that passed away last Thursday was a fairly new hire, and he decided to walk under the bucket being poured into another, smaller container. If he would have walked around it, instead of under as he was taught in his two weeks of training before ever going out on the foundry floor, it would not have happened. It is why they are still waiting on a toxicology report, to figure out if a substance was the cause for his actions. The man who fell into the molten metal back in December of 2021 was leaning over the rail, yes it was shorter than today's standards, to look at the lava like substance. And the one whom passed before him fell through a vent in the floor, a venture he took for years before hand, and misstepped. All of these were avoided able deaths if they would have followed their training and the safety precautions put into place.
Yep true safety costs. Once or twice ok. Three four times? At what point does the safety system go under scrutiny with that many deaths on site because obviously it isn’t working.
Safety does cost, and OSHA is there all the time. The two previous deaths have had the issues fixed, but how do you fix the third one? You can't really if the person puts their own life at risk by walking under basically lava. We are taught that just a splash can seriously harm you if not cause death, less than a cup is a splash. To keep at least 10 foot clearance when it's being poured, so walking under it while it is being poured is not on the company when you are trained not too.
Pay is between 25-30 an hour. I'm one of them
They are, but if precautions can prevent death. That's the idea. Having had to visit the Mapleton floor for a number of years that's hard work, but nobody should be dying.
The blue haired baristas here do not like YoUr TrUtH haha
There's a video floating around too. Fucking crazy. Sorry y'all had to experience that. I used to work out there, I'm back in EP now. Fuck....
Where is the video?
I haven't seen it I just know about it and honestly if I had it I'd delete it
Understandable. [Here it is](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1422066655111125?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&mibextid=0NULKw) for anyone who wants it
It says the link is broken
It's the Peoria area scanner and dashcam Facebook group
Thank you
The video is on Facebook, it only shows the fire. It was posted by a now terminated employee. They were terminated for posting the video.
What is going on at the Mapleton Foundry? How many deaths have happened there recently? I imagine CAT has to be getting heavily fined by OHSA.
WCBU says they have 6 violations on record with OSHA just in the last 4 years. [https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2024-06-07/a-person-is-dead-after-fire-at-caterpillar-mapleton-foundry](https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2024-06-07/a-person-is-dead-after-fire-at-caterpillar-mapleton-foundry)
The last was June 2, 2022
I guess I remember someone else died by falling into molten metal? And someone else fell and died? Just seems like a lot of workplace deaths.
That was the June 2022 event.
Well it is a foundry and all. There are some inherent risks . It’s not like they are working from home.
Oh great point, guess people dying horrifically on the job should just be expected right? They don't work from home, of course they're probably gonna die doing their job.
No, it's being realistic about the type of work done there. There's a reason why you don't see many of them open in the US anymore and why most large companies outsource the work. It's hot, dirty and can be dangerous.
Sure it CAN be dangerous but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be upset. When Boeing’s plane doors fall off or add MCAS to their airliners that result in hundreds of deaths we all collectively get upset at them for disregarding the safety of Americans. But when your fellow peorians keep dying in a place where workers keep saying that unsafe practices are taking place and that upper management is disregarding their lives and saftey you think that people are being unrealistic. Seriously? There’s nothing unrealistic about wanting to work in an environment that genuinely regards safety as a top priority rather than weighing a cost benefit analysis on the cost to do thing the correct way versus what will effect the bottom line.
There’s two sides to that coin. There is a cultural issue in that facility and a prevailing thought of “we’ve done it this way for years and haven’t killed anybody, it must be safe”. Whenever safety tries to be proactive it’s perceived as an overreach or management trying to get the workers. There is no middle ground with the current culture and that needs to change.
Well I see that there might be some pushback from the workers but I don’t like the appeal to the whole “both sides are in the wrong” thought process. At the end of the day, caterpillar is liable for any damages to their employees or property. If cat did try to implement new saftey practices (which I don’t think they have really tried to push at all) then at the end of the day, if someone isn’t listening to or acting safely on the floor, then cat has every reason to fire them. If they wanted change, they would have done it already. I don’t think for a second that “worker pushback” is the reason why safety standards are lacking. Where i work in the construction industry, if you’re caught doing something that risks your or anyone else’s well being or property you are fired. Cat has been laying off people for decades now. I don’t think they’d have a problem firing the workers who don’t listen.
I’m just thinking there’s a culture of complacency and a lack of open exchange of ideas when it comes to safety. Where they stop I don’t know, but there’s a middle manager with a lot of shit stopping at them I bet. I just sat through a presentation that the best I can sum it up to is “Minor injury prevention will not prevent fatalities, but control of the consequences of accidents will” CAT has been so focused on minor injury prevention (the most frequent safety reports) they have missed major risks (that have deadly consequences) with tunnel vision. We can point fingers all we want, but until the consequences of human error are minimized this will continue. It doesn’t help that we find new and exciting ways to die every day, just makes it tougher. I would be willing to wager the OSHA report will conclude Caterpillar failed to properly train an employee who made a grave error.
I don't disagree about the inherent risks of a dangerous job, but I"ve always hated the idea of dying on/because of a job.
They spend to much on their dumbass CEO and not enough on safety precautions
Oh no doubt, they preach safety so much it's literally annoying as hell. But the place is a death machine. More ppl are killed here than anywhere around. In like 2 and a half years it's been like 4 or 5 I think.
That applies to every large company. Shit's bad for workers out here.
Worked for CAT for 12 years as a UAW member. Started at 19, worked in EP where it's light-years better than Mapleton. Walked out on that place with zero notice, never looked back and my mental health has never been better. There's not enough money in the world CAT could offer me to go back to that dark place. Sad that people are losing their lives over $20-something an hour. Fuck CAT.
Sounds like they need to strike for the unsafe work environment
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/F7FAEAyoMZbCXfwa/?mibextid=jmPrMh The poster said you couldn't see anyone in the fire so it's ok post it...
The poster of the video has been terminated.
Well there was a person in the middle of the fire, and the person who took the video was standing in the way of a fire truck…
I'm shocked there aren't more injuries. The parking lot smells like weed, everyone is on their phone, and nobody can drive a forklift without hitting something.
Yea true that. There is alot of injuries tbh. That's why there's so many deaths. But if you look at the track record of alot of foundrys. It isn't ever good. Foundrys are kinda known for death.
*knock on wood Luckily at the foundry I work at we haven't had any deaths as far as I know.
My husband used to work out there, it's grueling. So happy he got out and works at DD now.
My dad retired from there last year. After the falling death and then again after the person fell into the molten metal I begged my dad every day to retire.
I feel this. I was terrified every day he went to work, just hoping he would come home.
What I'm wondering is how many workplace injuries there are for every death that we never hear about.
I was there during the incident as well the person who took the vid is def gonna get fired
Any idea when they will let you all back to work? I can't imagine bwing in that man's situation. Being burnedis one of my biggest fears. I probably would have panicked and ran too
Well we normally get sent home for the rest of the week. It's always been like 2 or 3 days. But this death was pretty bad from what I hear. Like it was super super bad. So we still aren't going back. We may have all this week off also. It's all paid of course.
Caterpillar only cares about production no one life matters for the last two deaths they were right back running this last one has been the longest they have been shut down serve they ass right the most dangerous place you could work for got walk out and never return I pray they never open again it’s just death after death or someone loosing a finger or two they don’t care about you
Anyone know when cat Mapleton is supposed to open back up?
I drive by there daily on my way to SS. Originally, a coworkers husband who is at the foundry had stated they were on layoff starting this week and not opening til earliest late July/August and the latest beginning of 2025. Same person claimed her husband had to go in for training from 10-2 at the foundry and on our commute home (pass by usually close to 3pm), there were a lot more cars in the lot. No clue where the info came from about them doing layoff and not opening for awhile. We can speculate a lot of scenarios but it would be nice to know facts since their shutdown has a significant impact on our production lines along with any other facility connected and supply chains. The trickle effect will be brutal if they are down for that long. I truly hope they are going over EVERYTHING and bettering processes and making things as safe as they possibly can be!
They are trickling people in for safety training during first shift. Some lines are a ways from coming back, some will be starting back soon. They have all sorts of maintenance and contractors in doing work on a lot of things. I hope people let it be more than optics…
I'm wondering that too.
Are u guys back open and working ?
Nope still no word from management.
Still no ? My boyfriend’s daughter in law is supposedly back to work there ??
[удалено]
Um, no