Witnesses describe finding worker drowning in molasses tank
By Shandra Martinez | smartinez@mlive.com
on August 02, 2016 at 2:21 PM, updated August 02, 2016 at 2:49 PM
SAUGATUCK, MI -- A worker who drowned in a molasses tank last week was under the syrup for at least four minutes before the company's owner grabbed an electric saw and cut the container, freeing the worker so he could start CPR.
The circumstances surrounding Robert Herweyer's July 26 workplace death are detailed in a report released Tuesday, Aug. 2 by the Allegan County Sheriff's Department.
Herweyer was working with a co-worker, cleaning a 12-foot-tall hard plastic tank, when the molasses level became too low to pump out of the container.
Herweyer then made the decision to climb into the tank to adjust the valve, Agri-Technology owner David Alexander told police.
'So much to live for:' Soon-to-be father, 23, dies in workplace accident
Robert Herweyer died Tuesday, July 26, in a workplace accident; he and his wife were expecting first child next week.
Herweyer donned a pair of waders and covered his face with a safety mask, making sure it was "nice and tight" before climbing into the tank, his co-worker and friend Kevin Deherrera told police, according to the report. Herweyer used a forklift and straps to lower himself into the tank.
After adjusting the valve so it could continue pumping the liquid, Herweyer started to climb out of the tank, but then stopped moving.
"He said Robert was just there, standing by the tank wall, and when he was yelling at him, asking him what was wrong and if he was okay or not, Robert never responded back or moved his head in a yes or no motion," police wrote in the report after interviewing Deherrera, who had been working alongside Herweyer that day.
Deherrera told police he briefly tried to lift the 6'3" Herweyer before running to the office, yelling for help.
Alexander used an electric saw to cut Herweyer out of the tank, and he and other workers immediately began resuscitation efforts until a medical help arrived. Alexander estimated Herweyer was "under the liquid for approximately four to five minutes before they were able to start CPR," according to the police report.
Herweyer, who had the syrup in his lungs, died from drowning, a Holland Hospital emergency room doctor who treated the worker, told police.
His death is the 13th workplace fatality in Michigan in 2016.
The 23-year-old died a week before his bride, Joy, was expected to have the couple's first baby.
Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting an investigation into the death. Part of MIOSHA's findings will be whether there will be any fines and penalties assessed against Herweyer's employer, Agri-Technology Company. The investigation could take months to complete.
The Saugatuck company, at 6135 Blue Star Highway, has a workforce of less than 10, and supplies farms with products to grow crops, according to its LinkedIn page.
Last year, a Barry County farm was ordered to pay $1.7 million to the family of one of two teen workers who died in 2010 after they were trapped in an oxygen-depleted molasses tank. The family brought the lawsuit, claiming the farmer had ordered the teens to clean the tank without taking proper precautions. The family of the other teen settled with the farm.