Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1539453.015 - Packers Sanitation Services, Ltd., Llc

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

On April 16, 2021, an employee was working for a firm that provided sanitation services for meat packers nationwide. In this incident, the employee was cleaning in the intestine area of a slaughterhouse. Beyond that, accounts varied. By the employee's account, related in a July 29 interview, the incident happened on Friday, April 16. The employee was putting an equipment part into a container. A metal table about 6 feet (1.83 m) high and weighing about 100 pounds (45 kg) was leaning against the container. When the employee put the part into the container, the container moved. The table became unstable and fell onto the employee. He reported the incident to his supervisor about 15 minutes later. At the time, the employee was not experiencing any pain. The table was not damaged, and there were no witnesses. The employee made his first visit to a hospital on May 10. He did not see a doctor earlier, because he did not have insurance. The next day, May 11, the employee went to a larger hospital in a major city. There, he had surgery for a collapsed lung. He was released on May 28. DOSH was notified of the hospitalization at 8:45 a.m. on May 26 by a source other than the employer. The employer did comply with reporting requirements. The employee claimed that his injury was inflicted when the falling metal table hit his back. By a second account, related by a coworker, the incident happened on Friday, April 23. According to the coworker, the employee said that another coworker had lifted the metal table and left it in a raised position. The employee was scrubbing underneath the table when it fell and hit him in the lower back. He had a minor arm bruise and minor back pain, but no serious pain when hit or for the rest of the day. That changed, and the employee went to the hospital on May 7 in a lot of pain. During the DOSH site visit, the table could not be found. The employer did not feel that the employee's injury was work-related. A cause was not determined.

Keywords: Arm, Back, Cleaning, Collapsed lung, Contusion, Falling Object, Food processing, Laborer, Lung, Maintenance, Meat Processing, Multi-employer Worksite, Multiemployer, Packing House, Reporting, Sanitation, Struck By, Unstable Position