Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125713156 - Adams Vegetable Oil Corp. Dba Adams Specialty Oils

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

On May 31, 2004, Employee #1, an operator with Adams Specialty Oils in Arbuckle, Oklahoma, was clearing a pipe, which was clogged with pumice-like material from the facility's edible-oil extractor. After trying, unsuccessfully, to clear the pipe using standard procedures, Employee #1 used a stepladder to reach a flat area, 2 ft by 2 ft, on one end of the extraction loop. He used a drill with a long bit to try to drill out the clogged pipe. As he positioned himself behind the drill, he got too close to the edge of the extractor and fell approximately 93 in. to the concrete floor. He was able to get up and walk into an adjoining building, where he received assistance. Employee #1 was transported to the Colusa Community Hospital and then transferred to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California. Employee #1 sustained lacerations across his forehead and back of his head, which required stitches. He also fractured the fifth vertebrae in his neck and suffered from severe headaches and dizzy spells, when he stood up. He was hospitalized for about 1 week.

Keywords: FRACTURE, HEAD, STEPLADDER, FOREHEAD, LACERATION, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, NECK, VERTEBRA, WORK SURFACE