Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125721605 - Contente & Company

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:15 p.m. on March 4, 2006, Employee #1, a relief milker, who had been working for the company six months, and his 8-year old son, transported a baby calf and calf feed to the calf pen area of the dairy. Two other coworkers stayed in the milking barn. When Employee #1 and his son had not returned at the end of the shift, the coworkers notified the dairy supervisor. They immediately started to search the area where Employee #1 should have been at the time. They found the dairy truck abandoned, with the hood opened. They then searched other areas of the dairy, but could not find him or his son. At approximately 6:30 a.m. on March 5, 2006, the dairy owner's nephew discovered the bodies in the manure pit, just a few yards northeast of the area where the truck had been abandoned. The East side of the manure pit, where Employee #1 was working, was protected by a heavy gage wire rope fence. The area around the manure pit was dark. It was assumed that Employee #1 and his son fell into the pit, which was approximately 10-ft by 11-ft by 300-ft. Employee #1 and his son both died of suffocation due to drowning.

Keywords: AGRICULTURE, PIT, FALL, DROWN, WATER