UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

At approximately 4:30 p.m. on January 8, 2005, Employee #1 was working at a market operating the "hard one" pressure cooker, (Collectramatic Fryer). A coworker had began the cook time for potatoes (9 minutes), when Employee #1 relieved him for his lunch break. The alarm beeped signaling that the cook cycle was finished; and the employee pressed down on button Number 2 and then pressed down on the metal plate. The plate is located in front of the middle portion of the handle. This releases excess steam subsequent to the cooker automatically releasing steam at the end of the (cook) cycle. She was pressing down on the metal plate when she heard a loud pop. Hot oil spewed from the cooker, dousing the employee. She moved back away from the pressure cooker, closed her eyes and lifted her arms in front of her face. She turned around to the sink (with plumbed faucets) and started to apply water to her face. A coworker told her to take off her shirt, so she then ran to the bathroom to do so. The paramedics arrived shortly thereafter and transported her to Bear Valley Hospital, where she was treated and released. The employee sustained third degree burns to her bilateral upper extremities, bilateral bust and left chest. Approximately three weeks after the accident, Employee #1 was hospitalized at the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks, where surgery was performed.