Tilden Mine fatal accident investigation continues

2:15 p.m.                                                                                                                                       12/9/13

The investigation into the fatal accident at the Tilden Mine continues tonight.

Last Friday, 61-year-old Gary Hytinen of Ishpeming was working as a reagent handler on top of a railroad tanker car when he fell approximately 12 feet onto a concrete floor.

Hytinen had worked for Cliffs Natural Resources for 39 years, the past 17 of which were spent as a reagent handler.

Cliffs officials say the investigation has been handed off to the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The MSHA’s initial report classified the incident as a “slip or fall of a person”.

There’s no word yet as to whether or not any safety precautions were violated. We’ll have more on this story as the investigation continues.

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2:40 p.m.
12/7/13

Cliffs Natural Resources has released the name of the employee who died Friday after a fall while working in an unloading area at the Tilden Mine.

Gary Hytinen, 61, of Ishpeming was working as a reagent handler in the unloading area when he apparently fell from a railroad tanker car to the ground.

Hytinen had worked for Cliffs Natural Resources for 39 years. Over those years, he held many positions as a general laborer, conveyor attendant, bulldozer operator, concentrating plant attendant and most recently, as a general reagent handler.

Company Emergency Medical Technicians and Bell Hospital EMS responded to the accident and Hytinen was transported to Bell Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Cliffs Natural Resources, the United Steelworkers Union and the Mine Safety and Health Administration continue to investigate the incident. The cause of death has not been determined.

……

6 p.m. 12/6/13
A Cliffs’ Natural Resources employee was killed after a fall while working outside the Tilden Mine concentrator Friday afternoon.

The employee apparently fell from a railroad tanker car to the ground just before 2 p.m. The man was transported to Bell Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Cliffs Natural Resources and the United Steelworkers Union have started a joint investigation into the incident.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Marquette County mine inspector have been notified.

The name of the employee will not be released until family is notified.