Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315344762 - Ebisu Enterprise Inc Dba Tajima Japanese Restauran

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, 2012, Employee #1 was working as an employee of EBISU Enterprises Inc., which was dba as Tajima Japanese Restaurant, in San Diego, CA. Employee #1 was a supervisor there, and he was a fulltime employee. Employee #1 was the supervising cook for the lunch shift. At the end of the lunch shift, Employee #1 was responsible for draining the boiling water on the stove that was used to cook noodles. He would replace the old water with fresh water for the dinner shift to use. Employee #1 was using a food grade white plastic rectangular container. It was a 20-lb. (9.1-kilo) container that had been used to contain white ginger for sushi. It was approximately 5 gallons (18.9 liters) in size, with a flimsy plastic strap on the outside. Holding this strap, he was going to transfer the scalding water from the pot on the stove to the floor drain inside the kitchen. Employee #1 had filled the plastic container approximately 75 percent full of boiling water. He began to transfer the contents across the kitchen to the nearby floor drain, when the plastic strap separated from the container. The scalding water spilled onto his right foot. Employee #1 sustained second degree burns to his right foot and ankle. He was transferred to Sharp Hospital by his employer immediately after the accident. Employee #1 was evaluated, and his wound area was cleaned. He was given pain medication, and then he was taken by ambulance to the UCSD Hospital burn unit on the same day. He spent eight days in the hospital. At the time of the interview, Employee #1 was unsure when he would be able to return to work.

Keywords: BURN, FOOD PREPARATION, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, MANUAL MAT HANDLING, SPILL, ANKLE, FOOT, HIGH TEMPERATURE, WATER