A 53-year-old employee died Sunday after becoming trapped between two pieces of machinery at the Cleveland-Cliffs coke plant in Monessen, Westmoreland County.
Emergency crews were called to the facility at about 4:15 p.m. Sunday after a worker was reported pinned between two door machines. The victim was later identified as Jeffrey Smith, an employee at the plant.
Westmoreland County Coroner John Ackerman confirmed Smith’s death. The circumstances surrounding the workplace incident remain under investigation, and officials have not released additional details about what caused the machinery to trap him.
The death investigation is being handled by the coroner’s office, while the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is expected to continue examining the incident as a workplace fatality.
The official cause and manner of Smith’s death remain pending while investigators await autopsy and toxicology results. The county coroner’s office notes that such examinations can require additional time when laboratory or forensic testing is needed.
The incident happened at Cleveland-Cliffs’ coke facility in Monessen, where the investigation is ongoing. Authorities have not announced whether any safety violations or other contributing factors were identified.
As the investigation continues, further information could be released by workplace-safety officials or the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office.
