Worker Discovered Dead after Wife Tracks his Phone

Safety at Work

Brunswick, OH (WorkersCompensation.com) – An Ohio worker was found dead in a trash compactor after his wife raised the alarm about his disappearance.

According to Brunswick Ohio police, Andrew “Andy” Strand, 35, was working as a contractor at a Shaker Heights CVS when he was found on Feb. 4. Police said his wife had alerted the police when he failed to return home from work. When she had not heard from him by 10 p.m. that night, she had tracked his phone to the CVS location.

Shaker Heights Police Commander John Cole said the circumstances surrounding Strand’s death were still under investigation and that the Cuyahoga County medical examiner is working to determine the cause and manner of death.

“We extend our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased during this difficult time,” Cole said.

CVS also shared its condolences.

“We’re cooperating with police as they investigate the death of a contractor outside our Chagrin Blvd store,” the company said in a statement.

Officials said Strand was a mechanic, and had recently started his own company.

"He was a mechanic for many years and played hockey for many years, influencing his son’s life to love both cars and hockey," a GoFundMe set up for the family to cover funeral expenses said.

As odd as it sounds, death by trash compactor for employees isn’t that uncommon.

In October of last year, an employee died after falling into a trash compactor in Garden City, N.Y.

Police said Michael Rutledge, 42, of Baldwin, N.Y., reportedly fell head first into a trash compactor while on the job at Arrow Linen Supply Company. According to its website, Arrow Linen provides “textiles to all industries such as food, hospitality, beauty & massage, physician offices. schools & camps, corporate & offices and industrial.”

Officials said police responded to the scene shortly after 10 p.m. on Oct. 23, after receiving a call about a worker who was in the compactor. The man was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead there.

While Arrow Linen had no comment, Rutledge identified himself as a delivery truck driver for the company on his Facebook page.

Police said the incident was being investigated by law enforcement and by OSHA.

In February of last year, a man was found dead in the trash compactor at his place of employment in Rocky Mount, Va.

Police said Shehta M. Sokr, 54, of Rocky Mount, was found inside an industrial compactor container on the side lot of Ply Gem/Cornerstone Building Brands. Sokr, was a Ply Gem employee, officials said. He was found unresponsive. Police said the container was empty and not in service at the time, and that the case was referred to the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office for further inquiry into the cause of death.

In May of 2024, a 68-year-old UPS vendor died after falling into a trash compactor.

Officials in Dallas, Texas said the man was working at the UPS facility at 10155 Monroe Drive when he fell into the trash compactor at the shipping company’s facility.

The Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) said in a statement that units responded to an emergency call around 11 a.m. for an “industrial accident.”

“As part of that response, the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team was dispatched to extricate the person, whose state was unknown at the time," authorities said. "However, it has since been confirmed that the person inside the compactor is deceased.”

The victim was identified by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office as Juan Pablo Chavez Palacios, 68.

UPS said in a statement at the time that they were “saddened to hear of the accident involving a vendor for UPS on May 16 in Dallas,” and that the company was “working with authorities to investigate and defer additional questions to the responding authorities.”

The incident was under investigation by local police and OSHA. At the time it was unclear what happened to cause the elderly man to fall into the compactor.

And in February of 2024, a 50-year-old recycling plant supervisor was killed when he was crushed to death inside of a large waste container.

Timothy Hannold died in Lakewood, N.J. at the Northern Recycling Center, police said at the time. Police and other first responders were called to the scene after Hannold had been crushed.

"Upon arrival, it was reported that recycling employees were in the process of moving a large container that had just been delivered," the Lakewood Police Department said. "At some point during the process, 50-year-old Timothy Hannold of West Creek entered the container. Unaware of his presence they continued to try and upright the dumpster causing the doors to shift and pin Mr. Holland up against an inside wall. Sadly, he did not survive."

That incident was also investigated by OSHA.

Hannold had been a supervisor of recycling operations at the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste Management for 22 years, officials said.

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