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Inspection Detail
Inspection: 126005297 - Veg Packer Inc
Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office
Site Address:
Veg Packer Inc
Cauliflower Field
Heber, CA 92249
Mailing Address:
101 E Main St, Heber, CA 92249
Union Status: NonUnion
SIC:0761
NAICS: 0
Inspection Type: Accident
Scope: Partial
Advanced Notice: N
Ownership: Private
Safety/Health: Safety
Close Conference: 11/05/1997
Planning Guide: Safety-Manufacturing
Emphasis:
Case Closed: 07/15/1998
| Type | Activity Nr | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accident | 362257206 |
| Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Unclass | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Violations | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Current Violations | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Initial Penalty | $5,000 | $0 | $0 | $210 | $0 | $5,210 |
| Current Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,025 | $0 | $1,025 |
| FTA Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| # | Citation ID | Citaton Type | Standard Cited | Issuance Date | Abatement Due Date | Current Penalty | Initial Penalty | FTA Penalty | Contest | Latest Event | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 01001 | Other | 6151 E03 | 11/06/1997 | 11/12/1997 | $175 | $210 | $0 | 01/02/1998 | J - ALJ Decision | |
| 2. | 02001 | Other | 3441 A04 | 11/06/1997 | 11/12/1997 | $850 | $5,000 | $0 | 01/02/1998 | J - ALJ Decision |
Investigation Summary
Employees #1 and #2 were vegetable packers at a cauliflower field in Heber, CA. They were using a transplanting machine, which is a hydraulically operated machine that is pulled by a tractor and seats eight workers who feed a wheel with a small finger-like attachment with small cauliflower plants. This wheel rotates and plants the cauliflower into the soil. The machine was not placing the plants well, so Employee #1 (the foreman) and Employee #2 (the tractor driver) stopped and tried to readjust it. Employee #1 was standing on the ground next to a height control bar for one of four wheels on the machine, preparing to place a pin to limit the height travel of the wheel. He told Employee #2 to raise the hydraulically-controlled horizontal support cross bar. Employee #1 did not notice that his left middle finger was in the nip point between it and the stop bar for the height control bar. His middle finger was amputated and he was taken to Central Wilshire Hospital, where his finger was surgically reattached. Employee #2 subsequently suffered a heart attack from the trauma of seeing his friend and coworker lose a finger. He was taken to El Centro Regional Medical and hospitalized.
Keywords: MAINTENANCE, AMPUTATED, AGRICULTURE, HEART ATTACK, FARM MACHINERY, CAUGHT BETWEEN, HYDRAULIC TOOL, NIP POINT, INATTENTION
| # | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 126005297 | Hospitalized injury | Amputation | Laborers, except construction | ||
| 2 | 126005297 | Hospitalized injury | Other | Laborers, except construction |