An employee was killed Aug. 22 in an accident at a compounding plant operated by RheTech LLC in Fowlerville, Mich.
The 31-year-old male employee was using equipment to move pallets of bagged resin weighing more than 2,000 pounds in a warehouse when he apparently was struck by one of the bags, according to a news release from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The worker was found by other employees unresponsive on the ground with one of the bags on top of him, according to the release.
In a statement to Plastics News, RheTech officials said that the firm "is deeply saddened by the recent death of one of its employees due to a work-related accident at the company's Fowlerville facility."
"We express our deepest sympathies to the employee's family and the company will provide support to its workers during this difficult time," they added. "RheTech is investigating the accident with internal personnel, as well as representatives from the Livingston County Sheriff's Office and MiOSHA."
"Nothing is more important, and no commitment more fundamental, than the safety of our personnel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of our former team member."
RheTech primarily makes polypropylene-based compounds for the automotive industry. The firm also operates plants in Whitmore Lake, Mich.; Sandusky, Ohio; and Blacksburg, S.C.
RheTech has been owned since 2014 by materials firm Hexpol AB of Sweden.
