Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309304681 - New Albertsons Inc (#6157)

Inspection Information - Office: Santa Ana District Office

Investigation Summary

On January 24, 2009, Employee #1, a part-time grocery store worker, was performing regular cleaning duties at closing time with a coworker. Normally, one employee would clean the front display area of the deli, and the other would clean the back area, where a hot oil fryer was located. Fifteen minutes before the accident, the coworker had removed a trap from the fryer and placed it on the opposite side of an aisle leading to the sink. The trap was 15 in. high and held approximately 40 gallons of hot oil that had been heated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. The aisle was at least 3 ft wide. Employee #1 was carrying metal food trays from the front display area to the back kitchen area to wash them in the sink. The food trays weighed a total of approximately 20 to 25 lbs, and their dimensions were about 27.625 in. long by 12.75 in. wide. Since Employee #1's vision was obscured by the trays in front of her, she bumped into the fryer trap and stepped into the hot oil. She removed her foot and fell backward on her left side. Employee #1 was hospitalized with first-, second-, and third-degree burns on her lower right leg and foot.

Keywords: BURN, OBSTRUCTED VIEW, CLEANING, HOT COOKING OIL, FRYER, COMMUNICATION, WORK SURFACE, FOOT, INATTENTION, LEG