Richburg man, 55, identified as person who died after Chester County plant incident
A Chester County man has died after a workplace incident at a Chester production plant, emergency officials said.
Melvin Cleveland Simpson, 55, of Richburg in Chester County, died from his injuries in the workplace incident, said Chester County Coroner Terry Tinker.
Tinker said the investigation into Simpson’s death is ongoing.
Chester Fire Department chief Paul Caldwell said firefighters were dispatched at 9:13 a.m.
Details about the incident have not been released.
The plant is located on S.C. 9 east of Chester. It is outside the city limits of Chester but inside the 5-mile fire district of the Chester Fire Department, said Ed Darby, deputy director of Chester County Emergency Management.
The Chester County Coroner’s Office and fire department are investigating, Darby said.
Chester Fire Department Capt. Rick Grant said firefighters were on scene but had no other information.
South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokesperson Lesia Kudelka said the agency is investigating.
Carolina Poly Inc. produces trash bags, plastic sheeting, shrink films and other products. Part of Poly-America, one of the largest polyethylene film manufacturers in the U.S., Carolina Poly announced in 2015 a $100 million investment in Chester County. The 500-square-foot facility at 1580 Lancaster Highway began production in 2017.
A 2018 $25 million expansion added another 75 jobs to the plant’s 300-plus workforce.
Efforts to obtain comment from Carolina Poly officials were unsuccessful.
This story was originally published April 4, 2019 at 11:58 AM.
