MORTON, IL — An employee of Caterpillar Inc. in Morton was taken to a Peoria hospital early Wednesday morning after an accident at a facility there.
Morton Fire Chief Joe Kelley said his department sent an ambulance to the Caterpillar Morton plant about 4:20 a.m. While declining to give specifics, he said the employee appears to have been injured by a moving piece of equipment like a crane. The man’s identify as well as his condition when he was transported or later that day were not available Wednesday afternoon.
Janice Walters, a Caterpillar spokeswoman, said the employee is an electrician. He was taken to OSF Healthcare Saint Francis Medical Center.
“Employee safety is of utmost importance to Caterpillar, and we are in close contact with those involved,” she said.
Kelley said he wasn’t at the scene but believed the call required some form of advanced life support.
The chief said it’s not uncommon for Morton to respond to the Caterpillar facilities for a workplace accident, adding that they can respond as often as once a week.
====================
Employee injured at Morton, Illinois Caterpillar facility
By Tim Shelley
Updated: Nov 01, 2017
A Caterpillar electrician was hospitalized early Wednesday after an accident at the Morton Caterpillar facility.
Morton Fire Chief Joe Kelley said his department responded to the facility around 4:50 a.m.
"On November 1, 2017, a Caterpillar electrician was injured while working at our Morton, IL facility. Employee safety is of utmost importance to Caterpillar and we are in close contact with those involved. We have been notified the employee has been taken to OSF St. Francis Medical Center for treatment," said Caterpillar spokesperson Janice Walters in an e-mailed statement.
The condition of the employee is not known. Kelley said the accident involved a piece of equipment, but more specific details were not available.
An official at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Peoria said the agency has not yet been notified of the accident as of 1 p.m. However, an employer has up to 24 hours to notify OSHA in the event of a workplace accident requiring hospitalization.
55 Years of Customer Parts Support at Morton
In 1958, Caterpillar Tractor Co. opened a new parts department facility in Morton, Ill. as part of its expansion plan. Operations from the East Peoria, Ill., Parts Department were transferred to the new Morton facility.
In the summer of 1956, ground was broken on the 100 acre site which, at that time, was immediately north of Morton's city limits. The steel started to rise on March 11, 1957, and the transfer of inventory from East Peoria to Morton began in December 1957. One thousand employees were originally employed at the facility when it opened in 1958 and many came from the East Peoria Parts Department.
In honor of Morton's 55th anniversary, a group of Caterpillar retirees who host facility tours of Morton provided a tour to Corporate Archivist Lee Fosburgh and recollected the multiple advancements of the facility throughout the years.
"We've had a constant history of expansion and improvement - since the very beginning," noted the team throughout the tour. The Caterpillar retirees who hosted the tour included: Nick Nicholson, who retired after 27 years of service with 25 being at Morton; Matt Scheffler, who retired after 31 years of service in product support; Dave Rankin, who retired after 40 years of service at Morton; Vernon Cox, who retired after 37 years of service with 17 being at Morton; and Ed Eaton, who retired after 33 years of service with 27 being at Morton.
"We have great documentation of our history within the collection of the Corporate Archives," Fosburgh said. "However, it's the stories of our retirees that really make our history come to life - Nick, Matt, Dave, Vernon and Ed do a remarkable job showcasing the heritage of Morton, as well as the company, throughout their tours."
Today, Morton is the central point for customer parts support with primary responsibility for receiving and shipping after-market parts to worldwide parts facilities and Cat® dealers.