Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310816913 - Ralph Collazo Packing

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:00 a.m. on May 19, 2008, Employee #1 and coworkers were picking cantaloupes from behind a harvesting machine, which was pulled by a tractor. Between the tractor and harvester, there was a trailer where boxed cantaloupes were moved and stacked for later transportation to larger trailers that were used to haul the product to market. The harvester covered five to six rows of cantaloupes as it was pulled down the field with employees trailing directly behind it. At the end of the field, the harvester-trailer-tractor unit turned back around so it can head down the next set of rows of unharvested cantaloupes. The harvester-trailer-tractor unit turned to make the next run down the field, and it started to roll back and struck a horizontal furrow at the end of the vertical rows. Employee #1 slipped behind the wheel of the harvester and was struck. The harvester wheel ran over his left leg, fracturing his tibia. Employee #1 was transported to a medical center, where he underwent surgical procedures to repair the tibial fracture. Following the medical care, he was hospitalized for three days.

Keywords: FRACTURE, HARVESTER, STRUCK BY, LEG