Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1543604.015 - Full Steam Staffing

Inspection Information - Office: Modesto District Office

Investigation Summary

At 7:05 a.m. on July 2, 2021, an employee working for a temporary staffing service was working as a sanitation worker at a vegetable food production facility that brines and ferments vegetables. The building has several rows of large tanks for a variety of vegetables to brine for food jars including pickles, carrots, cabbage, celery, and red and green bell peppers. Approximately 95% of the facility's business is brining cucumbers to produce pickles. The crew brings the product in from the field for brining before the finished jars of product are sent to customers. The employee was cleaning out soil in the bottom of an empty tank by shoveling and scraping the bottom of the tank. He then would sweep and mop to remove all debris (mostly dirt) before pressure washing the tank for the next batch. The employee was standing on a ladder when he slipped on a rung toward the bottom and twisted his right leg at the knee. The employee called EMS who arrived on site to perform a confined space rescue from the tank since the employee could not climb the ladder to leave the tank. The employee was transported to the hospital, where he was admitted for approximately 10 nights for an unspecified injury to his leg below the knee.

Keywords: Caught Between, Cleaning, Climbing on Ladder, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Food processing, Foot, Knee, Ladder, Leg, Manufacturing, Person, Sanitation, Slip, Slippery Surface, Staffing Agency, Tank, Tank Cleaning, Temporary, Temporary Employment Agency, Temporary Worker