Sunset man dies in apparent industrial accident in Clearfield
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CLEARFIELD — A Sunset man died in an apparent industrial accident in Clearfield and Utah labor officials are looking into the matter.
The Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division “will not be investigating the fatality specifically but looking for any safety violations that could have caused or contributed to the cause of the accident,” Eric Olsen, communications director for the Utah Labor Commission, said Tuesday.
A statement from the Clearfield Police Department said Monday’s incident at Americold at 755 E. 1700 South is being investigated but that “initial information suggests this was a tragic accident.” The department didn’t name the 38-year-old man pending notification of extended family members.
The Clearfield incident is the 10th industrial death this year. “So far this year, including yesterday’s unfortunate event, there have been 10 workplace fatalities that fall under UOSH jurisdiction and are not attributed to preexisting conditions or sudden health problems such as heart attack,” Olsen said.
The man was somehow pinned between a forklift and freezer shelves, according to the Clearfield Police Department.
“First responders worked quickly and were able to free the victim from the entrapment and rendered some medical aid on scene in preparation for transport to the hospital,” said the police statement. But he had suffered “significant trauma to lower extremities” and died soon after reaching Holy Cross Hospital in Layton.