State investigating death at Raleigh recycling plant

Inspectors with the state Department of Labor are investigating the Wednesday night death of a worker at a Raleigh recycling plant.

Simon Martinez, 39, died at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at Sonoco Recycling, at 111 S. Rogers Lane, company spokesman Robin Montgomery said Friday.

Martinez was employed by a staffing company that has a contract to provide workers to Sonoco, Montgomery said. He had worked at the plant since March.

There were no witnesses to the incident, so company and DOL officials are trying to determine what happened.

Montgomery said Martinez operated a fork lift at the plant but wasn't on the vehicle at the time of the incident.