Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1266510.015 - S E C C Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At 12:00 p.m. on September 19, 2017, Employee #1 was locating a buried drop service line in a customers front yard. The employee had located the box hole that was approximately 32 inches by 51 inches by 36.5 inches deep. A coworker arrived 15 minutes later to the yard. Employee #1 claimed that he was bitten by a spider, but did not leave to go to the doctor and continued to finish his tasks for the day. The next day the employees arm was swollen, with two bites, but he continued to work. Employee #1's wife stated that his left upper arm was swollen that night, and he put ice on it, telling her that if it did not get better, he would go to emergency room (ER) the following morning. The swelling did not go down overnight, so Employee #1 left home at 6 a.m. to go to the hospital, planning to go to work after the ER visit. The employee returned home at 11:00 a.m. and the wife observed him to be a little sweaty. She then suggested to him to go to bed and lay down. His condition got worse later on that night with the swelling extending all the way to the tip of his fingertips, his knuckles were weeping and he was throwing up. The wife took Employee #1 back to the hospital, where he was admitted and died five days later due to respiratory failure from septic shock, multiple organ failure, cellulitis and acute compartment syndrome.

Keywords: Arm, Infection, Puncture, Respiratory, Shock