Caterpillar Worker Injured in Mapleton Foundry Equipment Incident
A worker at Caterpillar's Mapleton Foundry in Illinois was injured on Tuesday morning when a piece of equipment fell on him. The incident occurred around 9:51 a.m. at the facility located along U.S. 24 south of Peoria.
According to Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins, the employee sustained non-life-threatening injuries but could lose a finger as a result of the incident.
Caterpillar has not commented on the incident so far.
The Mapleton facility has seen three deaths in recent years. In 2021, an electrical contractor fell off a ladder and died. In June 2022, an employee fell into a crucible filled with liquid metal and also died. Another man was engulfed by molten metal at the same facility in June 2024.
Caterpillar is still contesting its fines totaling $32,262 in the June 2024 case, according to OSHA.