Fatal work accident

An industrial accident at the SMC machine shop just outside of Odessa killed a 48-year-old man Wednesday morning, according to a news release from Ector County Sheriff Sgt. Debbie Bruce.

The accident took place at 9:35 a.m. at SMC, 3409 Kermit Highway. The man, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at the shop.

A woman who answered the phone at SMC said they were trying to contact the man’s family, but she could not provide further comment. Another woman at the front of the business said its owner did not wish to comment.

SMC was closed down early Wednesday afternoon as the nearby shops continued their business. Three mechanics and bystanders from G & M Supply and Carter Tool Co. near SMC said they heard a man was apparently caught in a large turning lathe and pulled into the machine.

 “I called a friend over there,” said Robert Jeff, who was visiting G & M Supply across the street from SMC early Wednesday afternoon. His friend told Jeff what he saw.

“He didn’t even have a chance,” Jeff said of the man who was involved in the accident.

SMC advertises itself in the phone book and on its Web page as a manufacturer and supplier for drilling and production equipment. Turning lathes spin blocks of metal or wood for grinding, cutting, deformation and shaping.

Steve John of G & M said he was not sure what kind of lathe SMC used but he works on them himself and they require a lot of safety precautions. Particularly, he avoids wearing baggy clothing and keeps well away from the turning head of the lathe.

“If it ever grabbed a hold of you, you’d be pretty much hamburger meat,” John said.

Anthony Dillon at Carter Tool Co. said he noticed there was a problem next door when he saw an ambulance, then sheriff’s cars, what he thought was a fire marshal and then a coroner’s van pulling up to the shop by about 11:30 a.m.

Department of Labor spokeswoman Elizabeth Todd from the Dallas regional office said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation on the accident but could not comment further, saying they do not comment on active investigations.