Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316651280 - Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Fremont District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:52 p.m. on October 1, 2012, Employee #1, a 50-year-old male foreman with Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc., was coordinating the setup of harvesting equipment and supervised a crew of twenty-nine workers. The work began at 7:30 a.m. at a lettuce field in Soledad California. At approximately 2:40 p.m. Employee #1 was sitting on the steps of the harvester machine when he collapsed to the ground unconscious. A coworker pushed the emergency shut off button on the harvesting machine and ran to get the phone to call for help. Other coworkers ran to assist Employee #1. Employee # landed face down on the ground; the coworkers turned him around and placed wet handkerchiefs on his head and neck and removed his shoes and shirt. The coworkers used cardboard boxes to fan Employee #1 and put some water on his lips. One of the coworkers checked to see if Employee #1 had a pulse, but he could not feel it, he put his ear on his chest and he could not hear the heart beat. The area where Employee #1 fell down was shaded. Two foremen working in the same lettuce field with different crews came in a pickup truck within approximately two minutes of Employee #1's collapse. Employee #1 was carried to the pick-up truck and transported to the main access road to meet the ambulance. While waiting for the ambulance, a supervisor of the corporation together with the coworkers took turns in providing CPR and mouth to mouth resuscitation. The ambulance arrived at 3:01 p.m. and paramedics took over the care of Employee #1. The Fire Department and the Highway Patrol also arrived at the scene. Employee #1 was transported to Mee Memorial Hospital in King City, California and the Emergency Room Doctor at the hospital pronounced Employee #1 dead at 3:55 p.m. The opening conference was held with the Safety Administrator and the Labor Relations Manager of the corporation, who escorted the Division to the area where the incident occurred, photographs and measurements were taken. At the time of this investigation, the scene had been changed. According the NOAA-National Weather Service Forecast Office; the weather temperature on the day of the event was 92-degrees Fahrenheit at 2:00 p.m.

Keywords: HEAT, AGRICULTURE, FARM MACHINERY, FATIGUE, HEAT STROKE, TRACTOR, HEAT EXHAUSTION