Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316724236 - Topo Agricultural Services, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on July 13, 2013, Employee #1 was harvesting cantaloupe. It was her first day on the job. As she worked, she started feeling dizzy and then fainted. The crew leader alerted safety personnel and the field supervisor. The supervisor and safety personnel drove into the field to retrieve her. The safety personnel placed cold packs under her arms. They transported her to a police department because they believed it was staffed with paramedics. The employer stated that she had eaten a ham sandwich with mayonnaise during the lunch period. This sandwich had been left on the seat of a van and that this episode may have stemmed from food poisoning rather than heat illness. Employee #1 claimed she experienced paralysis in her hands and legs as well as tunnel vision, syncope, a severe headache, and tachycardia and hyper ventilation. Paramedics transported her to a medcial center, where she was diagnosed with dehydration and heat exhaustion. Employee #1 was a high school student with no experience working in agriculture, nor participates in outdoor activities that would impart acclimatization. In addition, it was determined she did not drink sufficient amounts of water for the 4.5 hours she worked nor did she receive heat related training.

Keywords: HARVESTER, FAINTED, HEAT EXHAUSTION, HIGH TEMPERATURE