EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) _ A Gary construction company plans to appeal a proposed state fine of $3,500 for not alerting employees to unsafe conditions before a nearly 4-ton steel plate fell, killing one worker and injuring two others.
Pangere Corp. Vice President Bill Rathjen said Wednesday the company disagrees with the findings by the Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
A safety order issued by the agency March 11 cited Pangere for a serious violation for not warning employees they were working in front of an unsecured, 7,300-pound steel plate at ArcelorMittal's sprawling steelmaking complex in East Chicago. The plate fell Nov. 13, killing 39-year-old Michael Samuelson of Valparaiso and injuring two other workers.
The Lake County Coroner's Office ruled Samuelson died from blunt force trauma and that the death was accidental.
