A worker with New Process Steel died Tuesday during an accident in the steel cutting area of the plant.
Elijah Jones, 20, of Columbus, died of blunt force trauma, Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant told The Dispatch. Jones was found near the slitter line, a station where steel coils are cut into narrower strips for manufacturing.
Merchant said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had investigators on-site Wednesday afternoon.
Neal Austin, Industrial Fire and Rescue Station manager, said first responders received an initial 911 call at about 7 p.m. to assist maintenance crews regarding a worker stuck in a machine.
By the time they arrived, Merchant said Jones had already died from his injuries.
Merchant would not specify the nature of Jones’s injuries or details of the accident itself due to OSHA’s ongoing investigation. The coroner’s office and Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office are coordinating with OSHA’s investigation.
New Process Steel and its Columbus site are owned by Steel Dynamics Inc. SDI Investor Relations Manager Tricia Meyers confirmed Jones’ death and SDI’s cooperation with OSHA’s investigation in a statement emailed to The Dispatch.
“Our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and the New Process Steel team,” Meyers said in the statement.
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