Abstract: At approximately 1:22 p.m. on July 14, 2005, Employee #1, working for Jongquist Family Kitchen, Inc., was transporting a hopper out of a cooler. The employer is a small manufacturer of refrigerated deli food products, such as, but not limited to, dips and salad. The basic manufacturing process involves cooking and cooling the products in kettles located in a cook room, pumping the product into mobile metal hoppers of various sizes, and then transferring the hoppers directly to the packaging line, or storing them into walk-in coolers. This particular hopper contained 1,230 lbs of guacamole and was placed in the cooler by two employees on the previous evening and was scheduled to be moved to the packaging line in the morning. Employee #1 was pulling the hopper towards her and out of the cooler when, according to one of two witnesses to the accident, one of the caster wheels on the hopper struck a floor drain in the hallway and caused the hopper to tip over. It landed on Employee #1's head and upper torso. She was killed due to the injuries caused by the impact. The witnesses to the accident were working in an adjacent dish room. The employer had no specific procedures for handling the hoppers, but initial interviews indicated that all employees were aware that two people were required to handle and transport the larger hoppers. This particular hopper was the only one of its size and shape used in the facility.