Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025
105,991Records 71,450Employers 85,836Hospitalizations 27,959Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-11-30

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221444557

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO - CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND WILDLIFE HEALTH

Event
Agriculture, Irrigation Equipment, Irrigation Pipe, Irritation, Pneumonia, Pulmonary Edema, Pulmonary Embolism, Trench
NAICS
712130
Inspection type
Accident-driven
Activity number
#345521421
Employer profile
ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO - CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND WILDLIFE HEALTH
Summary number
221444557
Report ID
0950632

Event description

Employee develops pulmonary coccidioidomycosis

Investigation abstract

In mid June, 2021, Employee #1, employed at the Beckman Center, had been laying irrigation lines in newly dug trenches behind the Beckman Center, in an area previously undisturbed. The employee initially experienced flu-like symptoms and was evaluated in the ER on June 29, 2021, and diagnosed with pneumonia. On July 13, 2021, the employee was re-evaluated, admitted, treated, and discharged on July 15, 2021, with a prescription for daily antifungal medication for 12 months. The employee was diagnosed with pulmonary coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever). The illness was associated with exposure to dust containing spores of the fungus Coccidioides.

Victim

  1. #1 Hospitalized Age 41 M

    Event type
    8
    Occupation code
    474

Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.