Moses Kur tragically crushed, killed by a machine at Ventra Grand Rapids

KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Moses Kur, a 37-year-old Kentwood resident, died Nov. 24 in an industrial accident at the Ventra Grand Rapids facility on 32nd Street SE in Kentwood.

Kur was adjusting a sensor on a plastic welding machine at about 6:30 a.m. when he reached through an access door believed to be interlocked, causing the machine to cycle and crush him, according to an initial incident report from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) that was obtained by a local TV news station.

MIOSHA is investigating the accident and no additional information has been released.

Thoughts on the workplace accident in Grand Rapids, Michigan

I was deeply saddened to learn of the terrible workplace accident that claimed the life of Mr. Moses Kur decades prematurely. I extend my deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and co-workers.

OSHA has worked very hard over the last 50 years to implement safety standards, procedures, and protocols to make workplaces safer. For the most part, they have succeeded in reducing the number of fatalities and serious accidents in our nation’s workplaces. However, accidents still happen, as evident at this manufacturing plant in Grand Rapids.

This incident report raises some questions in my mind. Was Mr. Kur properly trained to execute the work he was performing when he was killed? Was he an employee of Ventra Grand Rapids performing his normal job duties? Or was he filling in for another technician? Or had he been dispatched to the site as a service technician? Were other employees of Ventra Grand Rapids assisting Mr. Kur? If so, were they properly trained to perform the duties they were in engaged in at the time of Mr. Kur’s death? What was the age and condition of the plastic welding machine that Mr. Kur was adjusting? Was the machine due or overdue for service—or for replacement? These and other questions must be answered to determine exactly who the parties are in this accident and the extent to which they may be culpable in Mr. Kur’s untimely and tragic death.

I send my heartfelt support to Mr. Kur's loved ones and friends in their time of grief.

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