HUBBARD — The death of a worker who had more than 2,000 degrees of molten steel poured on him could have been prevented by his employer, Ellwood Engineered Castings Co., federal officials said.

The findings were a result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor in the Jan. 13 death of 30-year-old Jawaylan Patterson at the Hubbard Masury Road plant.

The worker suffered fatal thermal burns while working inside a casting pit.

As Patterson was working inside the pit, a ladle of molten steel began leaking and splashing as it was moved over him. The ladle was attached to a crane being operated by an employee who yelled for others to move as they tried moving the ladle away from workers, according to a police report.

A spokesperson for the company could not be reached through a phone number listed on the company website.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s probe found the company failed to establish an “effective process for containing and managing molten metal leaks,” the news release said.

“OSHA also determined the company did not develop and implement an effective permit-required confined space program to ensure workers could access and exit the mold pit safely, failed to train employees on the hazards in the pit and exposed workers to fall hazards up to 15 feet,” the release said.

Their investigation found 11 serious violations by the company amounting to a proposed $145,184 in penalties.

“A worker died needlessly because Ellwood Engineered Castings Co. failed to protect him and his colleagues from obvious and deadly hazards,” said OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts in Cleveland. “The company could have prevented this tragedy by being responsible and by following well-known safety measures.”

The news release says the company has 15 business days from the receiving of the penalties and citations to comply.