Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025
105,313Records 71,083Employers 85,290Hospitalizations 27,770Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-10-31

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221700180

157445 - FOOD LION, LLC

Event
Door, Freezer, Freezer Compartment, Frozen, Hyperthermia, Natural Causes, Natural Causes, Unconsciousness, Unresponsive
NAICS
445110
Inspection type
Federal Agency
Activity number
#347743932
Employer profile
157445 - FOOD LION, LLC
Summary number
221700180
Report ID
0453710

Event description

Employee is found dead in walk-in freezer

Investigation abstract

At 12:00 a.m. on September 10, 2024, Employee #1, a 43-year-old part-time services were contacted. The freezer was set to a temperature between 0�F and 10�F. Preliminary findings from the medical team indicated the cause of death may have been due to natural causes, as no external injuries were observed. The freezer door had a functioning safety latch and was not locked. deli/bakery associate at a grocery store, was found dead inside a walk-in freezer. On the evening of September 9, 2024, at approximately 6:55 p.m., video footage showed Employee #1 entering the freezer with a mop and bucket. Around 7:08 p.m., a manager noticed the freezer door ajar, glanced inside, and closed the door, unaware of Employee #1's presence behind a pallet of frozen goods near the rear of the freezer. Employee #1 did not exit the freezer. The following morning at approximately 7:00 a.m., a coworker opened the freezer to retrieve items and discovered Employee #1 lying on his back behind the pallet. Emergency

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 43 M

    Event type
    14
    Occupation code
    999

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.