DANVILLE, Va.—Goodyear and the United Steelworkers union are investigating the death of William “Billy” Scheier, an electrician, at the tire maker's Danville plant.
An employee at the company for almost six years, Scheier was killed early in the morning of Aug. 12, according to the company.
It's the fourth death to occur at the tire factory in the last year. The official cause of death was not released by the company, but a USW official indicated he was crushed by a machine.
In a prepared statement, the tire maker said the firm's onsite emergency response team, as well as local emergency personnel, responded immediately after the accident.
It said Goodyear and the USW have been working together to investigate the root cause of the incident. The company also said it was cooperating with Occupational Safety and Health Administration on the matter.
“It's premature to talk about the next steps at this point,” a Goodyear spokeswoman said. She said the plant is operating, and the firm is fully cooperating with the OSHA. Goodyear also is conducting an investigation in partnership with local union leadership in investigating the incident.