OSHA investigates fatal bulldozer incident at Santee Cooper plant

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC (WPDE) — OSHA confirmed Tuesday that it was investigating after a bulldozer and its operator fell into a coal pile at Santee Cooper’s Winyah power plant in Georgetown County last week.

Following the incident, search operations began last Friday for 24-year-old Robert “Cody” Jordan.

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Georgetown County Coroner Chase Ridgeway said Jordan died as a result of injuries sustained when the ground collapsed beneath a coal mound where he was operating the bulldozer.

According to Tracy Vreeland, a representative of Santee Cooper, the operator worked for a contractor that Santee Cooper has employed for years. The operator is MOR PPM. They released the following statement on the matter:

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident and our thoughts and prayers are with our colleague and his family.” – Bobby Ollis, President of MOR PPM, Inc.

An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday at the Medical University of South Carolina.