A 26-year-old man in Tucson, Arizona, died after he was found ‘pinned’ under a concrete mixer at a plant. According to PEOPLE, this happened at a cement plant, and on Monday, October 6, around 5:30 PM local time, the authorities were notified of the workplace accident.
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Tucson Man Dead In Workplace Accident After ‘Pinned’ By Concrete Mixer
They found the deceased male at the CalPortland facility near Old Vail Road and Swan Road, per KVOA. So far, investigators have deemed it a workplace accident and have ruled out suspicious activity.
Sgt. Jesse Comeau from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed at the scene that the victim was a technician. He was allegedly working underneath a vehicle before he was pinned by it.
“It looked like all the personal protective equipment was being utilized,” said Comeau. “There’s nothing suspicious or criminal in nature about this incident.”
He also identified the victim as Omar Quihui. He had a wife and was a father to a young child. In remembrance of the late Quihui, his colleagues have posted messages on Facebook mourning his passing.
“RIP. To the best mechanic we had,” one co-worker wrote. “Thank you for showing hard work and kindness to everyone. You’ll be missed OMAR.”
The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, as well as the State Mine Inspector, are both involved in this investigation to decipher if there were any workplace safety violations. Still, workplace deaths are quite uncommon.
“As I was talking to the mine inspector last night, he said this was the first one they’ve had in four years,” Comeau revealed.
In a media release, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department revealed that investigators are still analyzing the scene. “Detectives from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department Traffic Unit and Forensics Unit responded to the scene to collect physical evidence and document the area,” it said.
News 4 Tucson’s Chief Investigative Reporter, Chorus Nylander, reviewed OSHA’s database. Nylander found no history of workplace violations from CalPortland in Arizona. There has only been one documented inspection over the past decade. It was a routine inspection in 2023 that had no concerning findings.