Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 201770732 - Farmer Collapsed And Died From Heat Exhaustion
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
302710918 | 07/14/1999 | 0161 | 0 | Casella Brothers, Inc. |
Abstract: At 4:05 p.m. on July 5, 1999, Employee #1, a farmer for Casella Brothers, Incorporated, collapsed and died from heat exhaustion while harvesting vegetables in a field. Casella Brothers is a farm that produces vegetables for sale in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Employee #1 had been working for only one week. This inspection resulted from a referral from the USDOL Wage and Hour Office in Marlton, New Jersey. This referral was received on July 14, 1999, and an onsite inspection was conducted on the same day. There was also media coverage in the Courier-Post and the Gloucester County Times on July 9, 1999. The medical examiner for the County of Delaware (Pennsylvania) concluded that the cause of death was hyperthermia (exertional heat stroke). On the day he died, he was harvesting vegetables in a field. He started working at approximately 5:30 a.m. By 12:05 p.m., he was overcome by the heat. After collapsing, he was transported back to the Packing House then to the Migrant Worker Dwelling. Other co-workers called for medical assistance at approximately 12:47 p.m. The police arrived first and administered oxygen to Employee #1, who was "unresponsive and gasping for air." The ambulance arrived soon thereafter and continued administering oxygen and transported Employee #1 to Crozer-Chester Medical Center. The dates and times of the heat exposure concurred with the data obtained from the NWS station, located at the Millville, New Jersey Airport. This information was in concert with local media reports confirming that from July 3, 1999 through July 6, 1999 the southern New Jersey area was under a dangerous heat alert. In addition to the heat alert, the southern New Jersey area was given precautions to guard against extreme heat exposure. Employee #1 reported heat stress symptoms to the Field Foreman the day before he died. The Field Foreman gave Employee #1 permission to go to the camp to rest.
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 302710918 | Fatality | Heat Exhaustion | Farm workers |