Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314827387 - Marz Farms Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

On the night of November 1, 2011, and the morning of November 2, 2011, Employee #1 was working as a night security guard at Marz Farms, Inc. Marz Farms grew raspberries and strawberries for Driscoll's, a producer and distributor of fresh berries. Marz had approximately 700 acres (283.3 hectares) of land in Ventura County, CA. It employed 1,800 employees, 600 of them year-round. Employee #1 had worked as a night security guard from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. six nights a week since April 2011. Employee #1, who did not drive, was dropped off at Palace Ranch in Somis, CA, at 7:00 p.m. on November 1, 2011. At approximately 6:15 a.m. on November 2, 2011, his body was found by one of the company's truck drivers and another employee at the ranch. It was lying face down on the dirt, approximately 11 feet (3.4 meters) away from a large roll-off dumpster. A 36 foot by 3 foot (11 meter by 0.9 meter) piece of aluminum siding was on top of him. Employee #1's supervisor was called, along with emergency medical technicians. The fire department and an ambulance arrived. Due to the high winds (35 to 60 mph, or 56 to 97 kph), the body was moved into the ambulance in an attempt to revive Employee #1. Employee #1 was pronounced dead on the scene. The Ventura County, CA, Sheriff's Major Crimes Unit responded because of the suspicious nature of the death. Employee #1 had sustained a fracture of his left femur, abrasions on his forehead, a dislocated right shoulder, and an abrasion on his right leg. After conducting the autopsy, the Ventura County medical examiner determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, and that the manner of death was accidental. The medical examiner developed a possible course of events. He felt that Employee #1 may have fallen from the dumpster. As he fell, he grabbed the top of the dumpster, dislocating his right shoulder. Employee #1 fractured his left leg when he fell to the ground. Then, he may have attempted to get up and walk on the broken leg. Instead, he fell face first to the ground, causing the injuries to his face. The cold and windy weather, in combination with the severe injuries, caused Employee #1 to die. Interviews were conducted of other workers and supervisors. The Division concluded that there were no witnesses to the accident and no certainty regarding how the accident occurred. As a consequence, it did not issue any citations to Marz Farms, Inc. The employer reported the fatality at approximately 10:51 a.m. on November 2, 2011. The Division initiated its inspection at 7:30 a.m. on November 3, 2011.

Keywords: FRACTURE, HIGH WIND, EMERGENCY RESPONSE, AGRICULTURE, DUMPSTER, METAL SHEET, ABRASION, FALL, LOST BALANCE, LEG