Worker crushed to death while transporting a die with a crane
Malfunctioning equipment at a Michigan manufacturing plant has caused the death of a 36-year-old worker. According to CBS News, the die setter, who was employed by Dexter Stamping, was killed days before the facility was set to begin closing down.
According to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), the worker was “transporting/lifting a die with a crane when the swivel bolt broke loose. As a result, one corner of the die hit the ground, causing the top half of the die to separate and crush the victim.” An incident report generated by Dexter Stamping indicates that the swivel bolt was not fully threaded into the die and came out of the hole.
This is the fourteenth workplace fatality in Michigan this year.
Ashley Smith for WKHM is reporting that representatives from Dexter Stamping are cooperating with the continuing investigation. The company also “expressed deep sorrow over the incident and extended their deepest condolences to the family of the victim.”
Dexter Stamping Company, LLC is a supplier of complex and tightly-toleranced parts for the automotive industry. According to Charles E. Ramirez for The Detroit News, the company informed Michigan’s Labor and Economic Opportunity office that layoffs would begin in June, affecting 66 workers, with operations permanently ceasing by July 31.
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About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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