Boeing 787 worker in South Carolina dies after fall

A Boeing employee in South Carolina died Friday after sustaining injuries in a fall at the company’s North Charleston site on March 18.

“This is obviously a very difficult and tragic incident, and we are deeply saddened at the loss of our teammate,” Boeing said in a statement Friday.

The employee was injured in Boeing’s composite fabrication area on March 18. Boeing did not release the name of the employee. But a Charleston-area TV station, citing the county coroner’s office, reported that the 38-year-old man died from a brain injury.

Boeing said it is providing counselors to support workers at the North Charleston facility. The company expressed its sympathies to the deceased family and friends.

“The safety and well being of our teammates is a top priority at Boeing,” the company said in a statement. “We are conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the incident and will take immediate action on any corrective actions that are required.”

Since 2012, similar accidents have been reported at Boeing sites here in the Puget Sound region.

Last March, Boeing mechanic Stan Sprague was caught in the wing flap of a 747 in Everett. His lungs were damaged in the accident.

In February 2012, Josh Divers was crushed under a 787. Divers, who lost his legs below the knees, recently returned to Boeing, according to the local district of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Boeing was fined in July by the state Department of Labor and Industries for the incident involving Divers.

Last December, a Boeing worker died after falling from a scaffold while painting a plane. The company has been reviewing weight limits for fall-protection harnesses in the wake of that accident.

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