Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314829482 - Harbor View Farms, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

At 11:30 a.m. on April 17, 2012, Employee #1, a twenty nine year old tractor driver/irrigator suffered an ear laceration and upper body abrasions after his clothing became caught in an unguarded revolving shaft on an irrigation drip tape machine. The employer, Harbor View Farms LLC, is engaged in farming vegetables and berries which includes preparing fields, irrigation, fertilization and cultivation, but no harvesting. Harbor View Farms LLC employs 1200 employees. On the day of the accident, two employees, both irrigators with the company for one year, were performing a regularly assigned job of pulling the irrigation drip tape from the field before harvesting the celery. Employee #1 was on the trailer that had four identical hose winding spools. Power was provided hydraulically from the tractor. Employee #1 walked between the spools to turn on the machine and while walking back to guide the tape onto the spool, the revolving shaft caught his clothing, pulling him into the machine. Employee #2 was not sure how to turn off the machine at the unmarked on/off switch on the machine and ran to turn off the tractor. Employee #2 called their supervisor. Employee #1 sustained a complex laceration to his left external ear, received abrasions on his upper chest, neck, right upper arm, left lateral knee and left face. Employee #1 was taken by private car to Community Memorial Hospital and then by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center where he was hospitalized for 19 hours.

Keywords: CHEST, CLOTHING, CAUGHT BY, EAR, LACERATION, SHAFT, ABRASION, TRACTOR, IRRIGATION EQUIPMENT, TRAILER