CHICAGO (WTAQ) – A federal appeals court says Caterpillar must allow a union investigator into its South Milwaukee plant, to determine its own finding on how a crane operator died.
The incident occurred 4 years ago, but the United Steelworkers Union says an inspection could still be very important since the cause was never determined.
Even if turns out to be fruitless, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago says the ruling prevents Caterpillar from barring union inspectors at future accident sites.
The worker, whose name was not disclosed, died in 2011 after a piece of heavy equipment crushed him while a crane was rotating it.
Caterpillar allowed police and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to investigate, but not the union’s national inspector.
Caterpillar offered to let the union see a video re-enactment of the incident, but the appeals court says it did not provide any answers.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
