Inspection Detail

Inspection: 115299083 - Fred Meyer Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Dosh Tacoma Service Location, Tacoma, Wa

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was working in the seafood department, engaged in the weekly routine of cleaning out a small seafood case that contained shrimp. To do this, she had removed the rear sliding doors and opened the case front. The cleaning solution was believed to be a mixture of bleach, water, and soap of unknown ratios, and she was using a garden hose attached to a hot water line. When Employee #1 finished cleaning, she began to have difficulty breathing and an ambulance was called. Within 15 minutes, while she was being transported to Good Samaritan Hospital, Employee #1 suffered an anaphylactic reaction that resulted in an anoxic brain injury. She slipped into a coma and remained comatose in the hospital, where she died after 12 days. Employee #1 had her head inside the seafood case while she was cleaning. It is believed that she either inhaled, ingested, or absorbed a seafood antigen that triggered an asthmatic reaction and led to her death. Employee #1 had both a history of asthma and a history of breathing problems when she worked with crab or cleaned the seafood case. Blood tests indicated that she had a high sensitivity to both shrimp and king crab.

Keywords: RESPIRATORY, SHOCK, ALLERGIC REACTION, CLEANING, INHALATION, RESPIRATORY TRACT