A 35-year-old man fell 120 feet to his death Friday morning in an industrial accident at a Lorain, Ohio steel mill. The man was working as a contract cleaner at Republic Engineered Products when he slipped off a narrow ledge and fell, according to a police report. He was an employee of Superior Environmental Solutions, a Cincinnati company hired to provide cleaning services throughout the massive complex formerly known as USS/Kobe Steel Co.The man climbed a ladder to clean an area near a crane. When he reached the third and final step of the ladder, he went to step down onto a small ledge and either slipped or tripped on a steel rail, losing his balance. Another SES employee told police that he saw Diaz fall and that Diaz tried to grab a rope hanging near the ladder, but it was out of his reach.
The man died instantly from head and neck injuries. He also had several broken bones, including a fractured pelvis. The accident is under investigation. OSHA previously cited and fined Republic's Lorain plant 19 times for what it labeled serious violations in the five years before this accident.
