Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310821681 - Gustafson Farms

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:00 p.m. on August 2, 2007, Employee #1 was demonstrating how to unload a partially loaded roll-off tilt trailer. Employee #1 climbed on the trailer and pulled a fully loaded roll-off bin (full of peaches) weighing approximately 1,000 lbs past the trailer's center axle (center of gravity), which caused the front end of the trailer to suddenly tilt and swing in an upward motion (as it is designed to do), thus releasing the bins towards the rear of the trailer. Employee #1 was still standing behind the bin when it rolled off the trailer, and it pinned his head and torso between the empty bins already on the ground. The incident was treated as not being an inspection because Employee #1 was not officially on the farm's payroll and an employer/employee relationship did not exist at the time of the incident. Employee #1 was not an employee of the farm at the time of the incident. He was employed by the farm owner until 1989, when Employee #1 (the decedent) became disabled due to a debilitating nerve condition. Since Employee #1 and the farm owner had maintained their friendly relationship, Employee #1 routinely visited the farm (especially during harvest time) to help with the lighter chores of the harvest.

Keywords: HEAD, AGRICULTURE, PINNED, FARM MACHINERY, TORSO, CRUSHED, TRAILER