DENVER (AP) — A 64-year-old worker who died after he was caught in a machine at an aluminum plant in Denver had the psychoactive chemical of marijuana in his bloodstream.
Rick Simer was caught in an aluminum splitter machine at KBP Coil Coaters, Inc. on Aug. 9. He died at the scene.
Herb Gibson, director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Denver-area office, tells The Denver Post that if inspectors find a malfunctioning or improperly set up machine led to the death, the marijuana in Simer's system won't matter in determining a penalty.
KBP's website describes the company as one of North America's largest independent buyers of aluminum and steel coil.
Eric Larouche, the company's vice president of human resources, declined to comment because the death is still being investigated.
