On Saturday, Feb. 9, a 54-year-old worker died at a Michigan tube and pipe manufacturer after falling into a vat of sulfuric acid.
Daniel Hill was working at Michigan Seamless Tube when he fell into a vat of the heated acid. A co-worker found Hill a little after noon, pulled him out of the tank, and another worker brought him to a shower station before he was taken to the University of Michigan Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
According to multiple reports, Hill fell into a vat of 160 degree acid that the company uses to strengthen the pipes.
Hill, who was also known as "Moose," worked with the company for nearly two years. According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, Hill was a technician at Michigan Seamless Tube who was being trained "adjacent to a large chemical tank when he fell in." Local authorities say the vat was eight feet deep, 10 feet wide and more than 30 feet long, and that Hill was taking a sample of the solution when he fell in. There has been no indication of foul play.
OSHA has opened an investigation and, in a statement, Michigan Seamless Tube said, "A valued Michigan Seamless Tube employee was involved in a serious industrial accident on Saturday afternoon."
Hill was hanging onto the side of the tank when the co-worker pulled him out. According to a report from the local ABC affiliate, Hill's family has called his co-workers' efforts to save him heroic, as both suffered minor burns in the rescue attempt.
According to the company's website, it manufactures boiler tube, mechanical tube and carbon and alloy pressure pipe. The company's 344,000 square-foot facility is located in South Lyon, Mich., about an hour northwest of Detroit.
