Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126089473 - Big Saver Food #12

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

On February 5, 2003, Employee #1, a meat clerk in a grocery store, was stocking meat in a meat cooler from a pallet that had been delivered by a vendor at about 10:30 a.m. He clocked out between 5:50 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. on his lunch break. A coworker stated that he observed Employee #1 "appearing ill" at about 6:00 p.m. Employee #1 then went to a bakery where his wife worked and complained of feeling cold and nauseated. He clocked out and went home at about 7:00 p.m. His wife summoned emergency services at about 7:40 p.m., after which he was pronounced dead upon arrival at Kaiser Baldwin Hills. The widow of Employee #1 claimed that the store had been "filling the coolers with gas" and that this caused Employee #1's death. The employer claimed that the Employee #1 had made statements implying that he had a history of heart-related problems. The widow of the Employee #1 denied during a telephone interview that he had any history of health problems. The store had been in the process of installing new refrigeration systems at the time of the accident and the inspection, but no evidence of any R-22 refrigerant leakage was observed nor detected by instruments at the time of the inspection. It is noted that no other employees interviewed complained of any symptoms consistent with a chemical exposure. The truck driver of the meat vendor was also interviewed and he did not indicate that anything appeared out of the ordinary on the day of the incident, and did not relate experiencing symptoms consistent with a chemical exposure.

Keywords: CARDIAC ARREST, CARDIOVASC DISEASE