OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221680143
TESERRA OUTDOORS
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CA·
Event description
Employee dies from pulmonary edema and anthracosis
Investigation abstract
At approximately 4:30 p.m. on July 3, 2024, Employee #1, a customer service illness was ruled out. The coroner's office suspected potential exposure to liquid or granulated chlorine or muriatic acid; however, the employer confirmed that all chemicals are stored off-site at a distribution center, and Employee #1's duties did not involve handling or exposure to such chemicals. The employee had been employed for one month and primarily conducted customer service tasks, such as assessing pool equipment issues, ordering parts, and scheduling appointments. Cal/OSHA's Medical Unit reviewed the case and concluded there was no evidence to classify the incident as a work-related heat illness. Follow-up interviews with pool repair technicians confirmed that Employee #1 did not work with chemicals during his employment. representative for a pool service company, returned home after completing warranty service work on pool equipment. According to his mother, Employee #1 appeared ill, reporting that he felt hot and had been vomiting. The mother assisted him in laying down in the living room, where the air conditioning and ceiling fan were on. At approximately 5:15 p.m., the mother attempted to wake him but found him unresponsive. Emergency services were called, and the employee was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The County of Riverside Coroner's Office determined the cause of death to be pulmonary edema and anthracosis. Heat
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 21 M
- Event type
- 14
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.