Poultry Processing Production Worker Drowns in an Open Offal Wastewater Pit — California

Moore, David; Zubieta, Ingrid

doi:10.26616/NIOSHSFACE23CA002

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i

Poultry Processing Production Worker Drowns in an Open Offal Wastewater Pit — California

2024/07/25
By Moore, David ; Zubieta, Ingrid
Series: Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)

[PDF-1.28 MB]

English

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Details:

Personal Author:

Moore, David ; Zubieta, Ingrid

Moore, David ; Zubieta, Ingrid Less -
Corporate Authors:

California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (CA/FACE) ; California. Department of Public Health. Occupational Health Branch

California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (CA/FACE) ; California. Department of Public Health. Occupational Health Branch Less -
Description:

On May 6, 2023, a 66-year-old Hispanic male production worker at a poultry processing plant (the victim) drowned when he fell into an open offal wastewater pit. Offal is a mixture of water and chicken organs, blood, feathers, and other waste products. He was preparing to do preventative maintenance and clean the area surrounding the pit. A co-worker later found him inside the pit where he drowned. Even though hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels were not measured or monitored on the day of the incident, the gas is often present at poultry and meat processing facilities. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS - Failure to develop and implement a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) safety program for the offal wastewater room; No hazard assessment was conducted; Missing and unsecured floor grates protecting the offal wastewater pit; Damaged guardrails around the offal wastewater pit. RECOMMENDATIONS - California FACE (CA/FACE) investigators determined that, in order to prevent similar incidents, poultry processing plants with wastewater treatment operations should: 1) Develop and implement policies, procedures, and inspections as part of a safety program to prevent workers from being overexposed to H2S. 2) Ensure offal pits are identified as permit required confined spaces and a confined space program is implemented. 3) Ensure all pumps and equipment in the pit room remain in operation so there is wastewater flow through the offal pit. 4) Ensure offal pits are guarded and covered.
Subjects:

[+]

Accidents, Occupational Occupational Health Safety
Keywords:

[+]

Accident Analysis Animal Products Workers Animal Waste Confined Spaces Drowning Fatalities Hydrogen Sulfide NIOSH Region 9 Poultry Industry Waste Disposal Systems
FACE - NIOSH and State:

All (0000) ; Confined Space (0004) ; Falls (0007) ; Hispanic (0009)

All (0000) ; Confined Space (0004) ; Falls (0007) ; Hispanic (0009) Less -
Series:

Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
Subseries:

State
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE23CA002
Publisher:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Document Type:

Text
Funding:

Cooperative Agreement
Genre:

Field Study
Place as Subject:

California
CIO:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Topic:

Workplace Safety & Health
Location:

North America
Pages in Document:

1-10
Contributor:

Harrison, Robert; Styles, Laura; Shor, Glenn
NIOSHTIC Number:

20070087
Citation:

Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 23CA002, 2024 Jul; :1-10
Contact Point Address:

California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, P-3, Richmond, CA 94804
Federal Fiscal Year:

2024
Performing Organization:

California Department of Public Health
Peer Reviewed:

False
NAICS and SIC Codes:

31-33 - Manufacturing - (NAICS 2022) ; 311615 - Poultry Processing - (NAICS 2022)

31-33 - Manufacturing - (NAICS 2022) ; 311615 - Poultry Processing - (NAICS 2022) Less -
Start Date:

2005/07/01
Source Full Name:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
End Date:

2026/06/30
Resource Number:

FACE-23CA002
Collection(s):

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Main Document Checksum:

[+]

urn:sha-512:ac048c5bb0061d9eb02aad5010ec2ad33a29fe122b8414dd5d63e54159cb62ee7be25bee802e0881106ee8ce1f08d47c59450620104982d63916e3a984c0dd4a
Download URL:

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/164824/cdc_164824_DS1.pdf
File Type:

No Additional Files

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Poultry Processing Production Worker Drowns in an Open Offal Wastewater Pit — California

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