Inspection Detail

Inspection: 105198923 - Lee Agidius Orchard

Inspection Information - Office: Or-E-Portland - Safety 1 1054111

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a 63-year-old migrant worker with a history of diabetes, hypertension, and congestive heart failure, woke up and told his wife he was not feeling well. He went to the orchard and began picking cherries. At about 6:15 a.m., he complained of chest pains, sat down in the orchard, and then slumped over. CPR was attempted by those present and carried on by EMTs from responding ambulance crews. Employee #1 did not respond and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was transported to a funeral home in Dallas and then to California for burial. There was no autopsy. Ten days after his death, the Oregon State Accident Prevention Division received a complaint alleging that Employee #1 had died of a pesticide overexposure. A joint Department of Agriculture/APD inspection found no evidence to support this allegation. Another worker from the farm, who had been working with Employee #1 the morning he died, was tested for RBC cholinesterase eight days after the death and was found to be within the normal range (0.67 ref. 0.5-1.0 ph units/hr).

Keywords: HEART, CPR, MIGRANT FARM WORKER, AGRICULTURE, CARDIOVASC DISEASE