Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1494954.015 - Supherb Farms

Inspection Information - Office: Modesto District Office

Investigation Summary

An employee was working as a production supervisor for a firm that made spices and extracts. It processed freshly harvested herbs into ready-to-use ingredients for food service operators and food manufacturers. The employee worked throughout the entire facility, inside and out. At about 2:10 p.m. on September 2, 2020, another supervisor saw the employee exhibiting "unexplained tiredness" and sent the employee home ill. That was the employee's last day of work. On the following day, September 3, the employee was tested for COVID-19 at an unknown location. He tested positive, and he was instructed to quarantine at home. His next of kin later stated that when he came home that day ill, he fell asleep in his car in the driveway. He slept for almost a day before getting out of bed. His next of kin stated that his symptoms were fever, cold, sore throat, tiredness, and difficulty breathing. During his quarantine, the symptoms progressed. When he started hyperventilating at home, his youngest child called emergency medical services. The employee was admitted to a hospital on September 8, 2020. Per hospital protocol, he was tested again, and again he was found positive. On September 11, 2020, his employer was notified of his hospitalization. At 10:30 p.m. on October 12, 2020, he was pronounced dead by two registered nurses in the ICU. On September 25, 2020, the employer notified the Division of the illness resulting in hospitalization. On October 13, 2020, the employer notified the Division of the fatality. In the fourteen days before the supervisor's illness, there were twelve positive cases of COVID-19 throughout the employer's facility. No one else in the employee's home had tested positive for the virus. The employee was known just to go to work and back home again. He was not a smoker, and he was not ever witnessed without his mask on at work around any other coworkers. He ate by himself outside for lunch. The employer had an extensive program for COVID-19 prevention.

Keywords: Infectious Disease