Die setter killed in accident is Michigan's 12th workplace death of 2026

A 34-year-old die setter died after he was pinned between two dies in Livingston County earlier this week, officials said. 

According to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the worker was helping set a die in Howell on May 18. As the die was being lowered, officials say a crane noticed the locating pin was in the wrong position and began raising the die. 

When the worker climbed off the bolster to find the pin, the die caught another, according to MIOSHA, and began swinging, pinning the victim between two dies. 

MIOSHA reports that the die setter's death is the 12th workplace death in 2026 and the second in a week. On May 11, a 26-year-old roofer was working on the roof of a garage and throwing shingles in a dumpster when he fell headfirst onto a concrete driveway, officials said. The man was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries on May 12. 

There were 45 workplace-related deaths in Michigan investigated by MIOSHA in 2025.