Powered by GoogleTranslate

Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 124584.015 - Employee contracts Valley Fever while excavating remains

Accident Summary Nr: 124584.015 -- Report ID: 0950633 -- Event Date: 09/24/2019
Inspection NrDate OpenedSICNAICSEstablishment Name
1439659.01510/23/2019923120Riverside County Coroners Bureau

Abstract: On September 12, 2019, an employee was part of a team along with 10 coworkers from 4 different agencies tasked with the excavation of human remains in a remote area. The team was formed by a County Coroner's Bureau which included 3 Deputy Coroners, a Coroner Technician, a Coroner Sergeant, a Forensic Anthropologist along with 4 County Sheriff's Department staff (Investigator Detectives and Forensic Technicians). The team cleared a path to access the area by cutting brush with a knife. The employee marked the area to be excavated with paint and the team began the excavation using shovels, trowels, brushes, brooms and dust pans. The employee also sifted through the dirt looking for more remains and/or evidence. None of the team members, including the employee, wore a respirator and they did not follow biological hazards prevention measures. They were not aware the area was contaminated with the Coccidioides fungus that causes Valley Fever. At 1:48 a.m. on September 24, 2019, the employee was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with Valley Fever. On September 27, 2019, the employee was discharged from the hospital. Six of the employee's coworkers had also developed Valley Fever. Three of those coworkers did not develop symptoms. The employee was the only one hospitalized.

Keywords: Air Contamination, Contaminated, Dust Inhalation, Excavation, Illness, Inhalation, Lung, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, PPE, PPE Hazard Assessment, Respirator, Respiratory, Respiratory Tract

Employee Details
Employee # Inspection Nr Age Sex Degree of Injury Nature of Injury Occupation
1 1439659.015 45 M Hospitalized injury Coroner

Thank You for Visiting Our Website

You are exiting the Department of Labor's Web server.

The Department of Labor does not endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over the linked organization or its views, or contents, nor does it vouch for the accuracy or accessibility of the information contained on the destination server. The Department of Labor also cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked Web sites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked Web site. Thank you for visiting our site. Please click the button below to continue.

Close