Processing Plant Employee Dies After Falling Into Meat Grinding Machine

A Pennsylvania woman was killed on Monday after falling into the meat grinder at the processing plant where she worked.
According to reports, Jill Greninger (above, insert) was working her shift at Economy Locker Storage Company in Lycoming County when she fell into the machinery at around 11:30 a.m. local time. While no one actually witnessed the 35-year-old falling in the meat grinder, another employee realized something was wrong when he heard strange noises coming from the machine.
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The co-worker went to check on Greninger and found her body in the machine, according to Lycoming County Coroner Charles E. Kiessling Jr., who confirmed the death to ABC News. Calling the accident a “tragedy,” the coroner said:

“She died inside the moving parts of the machine… We talked to the person who found her. He said he heard a noise and went to check on her and found her in the machine. He put the power down and called 911.”

Speaking with the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Kiessling revealed that the employee was standing on a set of stairs on wheels at the time of the accident, and that the grinder was about six feet off of the ground.
However, because no one witnessed the accident, Kiessling said it’s unclear how she may have ended up in the grinder. He said:

“I don’t know if she got caught with the moving parts and they pulled her in, or if she just slipped and fell. I don’t know and there’s no way of determining that.”

Firefighters were the first to respond to the scene, the Gazette reports, though the victim was sadly already dead when they arrived. Officials reportedly spent about 45 minutes taking apart the machine so they could recover Greninger’s remains.
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Economy Locker Storage has been in business in 1905, and specializes in “wholesale meat processing and distribution needs,” according to the company’s website. The company has not yet issued a statement regarding Greninger’s death.
Needless to say, those who knew the Williamsport native are shaken by the fatal accident. The victim’s neighbor told WNEP:

“My heart goes out to everyone who is affected by this. Everyone is shaken and thinks that this is a tragedy that something like this had to happen to such a young lady.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said they are still investigating the cause of death, adding that this was the first reported death at this facility.
[Image via WNEP/Facebook]