Inspection Detail

Inspection: 312149024 - Dubois Harvesting, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Fort Lauderdale Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 4:45 p.m. on August 27, 2008, an employee was working as a farm laborer. He had just finished drinking water in the bus that was parked at the farm field. The crew leader had instructed the employee to go back to the field and continue working. The employee then proceeded to run down the field and did not listen to the crew leader's request. The crew leader then called the field supervisor to respond to the employee's actions to find out whether the employee walked off the job or continued to work on the field. The field supervisor and the crew leader then got inside the pick-up truck and proceeded to look for the employee. Within approximately twenty minutes, both of them noticed the employee on the ground laying on his back and foaming through the mouth. They lifted the employee from the ground and placed him inside the pick-up truck with the air-conditioning turned on. The employee's shirt was unbuttoned and water was being applied over the employee's body. The employee was taken back to the bus, so more water can be placed over his body. The field supervisor then placed the employee in the pick-up truck and drove to Boynton Beach Blvd and Acne Dairy Road to wait for the emergency response crew to arrive. When the ambulance arrived, the employee was still breathing and was taken to J.F.K. Hospital. According to the West Palm Examiner's office, the employee died of hyperthermia.

Keywords: CARDIOVASC SYSTEM, AGRICULTURE, HEAT STROKE, HEAT EXHAUSTION