James Lay Jr., a 61-year-old contract worker, was fatally injured at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s Topeka, Kan. manufacturing facility on Tuesday, March 15.
Kansas Personnel Services Inc., the staffing agency that employed Lay, and Goodyear have not provided a full written statement, but OSHA investigators already were on the scene to determine what happened.
An object fell and struck Lay on the head, causing a fatal injury, Lay's wife told local news outlet KSNT. These are the only details currently available about the incident.
The fatality comes just weeks after Goodyear Tire reached a settlement with OSHA after four fatalities occurred at its Danville, Va. plant over the course of a year.
The company agreed to pay $1.75 million in penalties and overhaul its health and safety program as a result of those worker deaths.
Lay is survived by his wife of more than 34 years, a daughter, his parents, a brother and a sister, according to his obituary. His name was released at the request of his family.
