Video: Brooksville Man Dies in Accident at Tronox

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HAMILTON, Miss. (WCBI) — A Brooksville man has died in an accident at the Tronox plant in Hamilton.

56-year-old George Rice, a contract worker with Jimco, was onboard an 18-foot pontoon dredge that capsized in pond number 11 at 6:40 a.m. Thursday.

According to Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley, Rice was wearing a life jacket.

The Columbus Fire and Rescue water rescue team recovered Rice’s body at 8:57 a.m. Rescuers found him within five minutes of getting to the dredge.

Tronox is located off Highway 45 on the southern edge of the town. The plant is the world’s third largest of its kind.

Rescue officials tell WCBI the man apparently was working when a piece of equipment overturned, trapping him underneath.

Gurley says Rice’s body has been sent to Jackson for an official autopsy.

STATEMENT FROM TRONOX:
Tronox regrets to report that, following an accident that occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m. this morning, at its Hamilton, Mississippi facility, a contract employee is unaccounted for. Local and company emergency rescue teams are on site.

The missing worker was operating a dredge at one of the company’s ponds containing non-hazardous solids, a by-product in the production of titanium dioxide.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our missing colleague. The name of the worker has not been released.

The cause of the accident is under investigation. Immediate measures have been taken to secure the area and to ensure the safety of our employees.

Tronox is committed to the safety of our workers and the local community. The relevant safety, health and environmental authorities have been alerted and are on site. We take this situation seriously and are cooperating with officials from these agencies to fully investigate the incident and take action, if necessary, to prevent future such events.

Further information regarding this accident will be issued when available.

UPDATE:
Tronox Statement Regarding Incident at Hamilton Facility, August 14, 2014, 10:00 a.m. CDT

Tronox regrets to report that, following an accident that occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m. this morning, at its Hamilton, Mississippi facility, a contractor has died. Emergency response teams from Tronox as well as Monroe and Lowndes Counties were immediately dispatched to the site of the accident.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues of the deceased, whose name has not been released.

He was an employee of JIMCO Group, which has been working at the Tronox site for several years to recover non-hazardous solids from ponds that store by-products from the production of titanium dioxide, a non-toxic pigment used in paint, plastics and other common products. The deceased was onboard a tethered 18-foot pontoon dredge that is believed to have listed and capsized. He was wearing a floatation vest when the accident occurred.

The body of the worker was recovered and pronounced dead at the scene by the sheriff’s department at approximately 9:00 a.m. CDT.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.  Immediate measures have been taken to secure the area and to ensure the safety of our employees and contractors.

Tronox is committed to the safety of our workers and the local community. The relevant safety, health and environmental authorities have been alerted and are on site. We take this situation seriously and are cooperating with officials from these agencies to fully investigate the incident and take action, if necessary, to prevent future such events.

Further information regarding this accident will be issued when available.