Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314743337 - Douglas County

Inspection Information - Office: Medford

Investigation Summary

At approximately 3:25 p.m. on November 16, 2010, Employee #1 was preparing for an event at a fairgrounds complex. Employee #1 was using a homemade, commercial-type smoker, which measured 6 feet tall, by 4 feet wide, by 3 feet deep, had two front doors, and had a rear panel that opened to facilitate loading wood chips and lighting the burner. The smoker contained meat that was being prepared for a banquet. Employee #1 had lit the smoker and returned to the kitchen area to assist with food preparation. When she returned to check on the meat, she found that the flame had gone out. Employee #1 turned off the propane tank, opened the rear fire box access door, and then used a lighting device to restart the burner. As she ignited the burner, unburned fuel that had accumulated in the smoker ignited and shot flames several feet out of the back of the smoker. Employee #1 sustained second-degree burns to her hands and face and was transported to the burn center in Portland, OR. She was hospitalized.

Keywords: BURN, FOOD PREPARATION, FIRE, GAS, PROPANE, FACE, HAND