Caterpillar employee ‘immediately incinerated’ after falling into pot of molten iron, OSHA saysMAPLETON, Ill. (Gray News) – A Caterpillar employee was “immediately incinerated” when he fell into an 11-foot-deep pot of molten iron heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.OSHA said in a news release Wednesday that the death of the 39-year-old employee happened on June 2 at a Caterpillar foundry in central Illinois, which produces cast iron engine components.Investigators with OSHA found that the foundry regularly exposed employees to unprotected fall hazards as they worked close to deep containers of molten iron.The employee who died was a melting specialist who was removing a sample of iron from a furnace when he fell into the melting pot.“Caterpillar’s failure to meet its legal responsibilities to ensure the safety and health of workers leaves this worker’s family, friends and co-workers to grieve needlessly,” OSHA Area Director Christine Zortman said."