North Carolina Worker Killed In Recycling Plant Forklift Accident

A contract worker at a Raleigh recycling plant was killed in a job-related accident this week, according to the Associated Press and the North Carolina Labor Department. A Sonoco spokesperson also confirmed the worker death.

There are no witnesses to the on-the-job accident. The worker, 39-year-old Simon Martinez, was working on Wednesday night and discovered next to a forklift that he was operating. The cause of the worker accident and the cause of death are not yet clear. Just months ago, another worker at a different Sonoco North Carolina recycling facility was killed when a bale of cardboard weighing almost a ton was dropped onto him. The company has been cited and fined for six workplace violations in the last year. While three of the violations were minor, three others were classified as serious.

The NC worker accident is being investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.