Work-Related Death At Pueblo Steel Mill

An employee at the Evraz Steel Mill in Pueblo has died in what appears to be an industrial accident, local authorities and corporate officials said on Tuesday.

The Pueblo Chieftain has identified the victim as Raymond Duran, 53, and report that he was hit by a 5-ton forklift inside the plant at the Rod & Bar Facility. The Chieftain reports that Duran died before he was taken to St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center.

The Pueblo County sheriff’s and coroner offices responded to the accident just before noon Tuesday. They said the death is work-related and there is no evidence of foul play.

Authorities said the accident occurred while materials were being moved with a forklift. The plant is closed and an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is under way. A worker tells KRDO Newschannel 13 that the plant will reopen Wednesday with a renewed focus on safety.

Two men with ties to the plant reflected on the tragedy. Louis Potoker, an employee there for 44 years, said he can’t understand how the accident could have happened.

“I think we do a great job here, as far as safety,” he said. “We have safety meetings. We’re drilled about it.”

Paul Baca said his father died in an explosion at the plant in 1973.

“It’s a traumatic thing,” said Baca, who worked in the iron industry instead of the steel industry. “You never get over it. If you’re not on top of things, it can take just a split-second for someone to get hurt or killed.”

This is the second Evraz-related worker death in a year. On April 20, 2011, Ignacio Cornelio, 30, died after a tank he was cutting with a welding torch, exploded. Authorities determined there was no foul play, and there was no word on OSHA’s findings. That accident happened at Evraz but on property leased to Western Metals Recycling.

The Sheriff’s Office said that since 1997, there have been six deaths and more than 80 medical or service calls at the plant.