Gigantic Paper Roll Kills Railroad Worker
According to an article by the Philadelphia Inquirer , Jefferson L. Troester, 43, was killed Friday, May 18, working at his childhood dream job. Since his youth Troester had wanted to be a train engineer. That dream came true in 2010.
Then on Friday, Troester opened a railcar door at the Inquirer and Daily News' printing plant in Upper Merion and was crushed by a massive roll of paper used to print the newspapers. The paper roll weighed 1,800 pounds according to Philadelphia Media Network spokesman Mark Block.
Troester died at the scene of the accident. He was from Claymont, Delaware, and worked for Arcella Mittal Steel Inc. said a police press release distributed Friday afternoon.
The train was pulling six railcars carrying 4-foot-by-four foot paper rolls, Block said. A stack of newsprint three rolls high must have shifted in one car, police say, causing one roll to tumble onto the loading dock on the Upper Merion plant siding. Troester was pinned under the roll when it fell out as he opened the door. Another roll fell onto the loading dock.
According to NBC 10 Philadelphia, Jean Kult, regional supervisor for the Occupational and Health Administration (OSHA) in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a compliance officer safety specialist, is investigating the incident. OSHA must finish its investigation by six months.
Before his work as a railroad engineer, Troester spent time in the Air Force in the late 1980s, was an automotive repairman, and then became a welder and a millwright.
Source: Philly.com
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