Workplace accident claims life of employee at metalworking plant

An employee at a Gaston County metalworking plant died Thursday after he was apparently struck by a tool that got kicked out by heavy machinery.

The accident happened at a factory owned by Industrial Fabricators, a company that supplies metal parts for the automotive and electronic industries, among others.

State and local authorities are withholding the victim’s name until their investigations are completed.

The worker was operating a sheet metal press machine Thursday afternoon when he placed a tool on the machine, according to the state Labor Department’s preliminary findings. The machine made contact with the tool and kicked it out, hurling it into the right side of the worker’s chest, the department said.

“It does appear to be accidental, with no one else involved,” said Det. James Brienza of the Gaston County police department.

Both the county police and the N.C. Occupational Safety and Health division are continuing to investigate.

Metalworking plants can be dangerous places to work. Nationally, 47 people died in the metal product manufacturing industry in 2013, the most recent year for which statistics are available, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Since 2008, Industrial Fabricators has been cited for 36 workplace safety violations, 11 of them serious, OSHA records show.

The company employs more than 250 people, its website says.

A receptionist for Industrial Fabricators said the company cannot discuss the accident because it is still under investigation.

This story was originally published May 18, 2015 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Workplace accident claims life of employee at metalworking plant."