OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14253868
HEART,HEART ATTACK,WORK RULES,HEAT EXHAUSTION,HIGH TEMPERATURE
Event description
One dies of heart attack, one suffers heat exhaustion
Investigation abstract
On August 21, 1986, the first day of the sweet potato packing season, Employees yee #1 had started this task at 8 a.m. and he collapsed at 2:40 p.m. Coworkers e valuated his condition for 40 minutes before calling the rescue squad at 3:20 p. m. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at 4:13 p.m., having suffered an acute myocar dial infarction. Employee #2 also became ill and was transported by company offi cials to the hospital, where he was treated for heat exhaustion. #1 and #2, seasonal workers, were working as crate loaders at a canning plant. T his facility packed asparagus in March and April and sweet potatoes from late Au gust through November. Employee #1 was in a concrete and metal building in the p acking area, where the temperature was estimated to be 100 degrees Fahrenheit. H e had been assigned the task of keeping the can tracks unjammed. The task was no t strenuous: it involved walking back and forth on a catwalk located above the p rocessing equipment, shaking loose any cans that became stuck. Employee #2, age 19, was loading cans into crates and then placing the crates into retorts. Emplo
Victims (2)
-
#1 Fatality Age 42 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 31
- Event type
- 12
- Source
- 23
- Occupation code
- 754
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Hazardous substance
- 8330
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#2 Non-hospitalized injury Age 19 M
- Nature of injury
- 15
- Part of body
- 31
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 23
- Occupation code
- 878
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Hazardous substance
- 8330
- Task assigned
- 1
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