Berkeley Farms, LLC: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Oct 19, 2002: Employee injured when lift gate on truck collapses

Employee #1, a truck driver, was standing on the lift gate at the rear of his tr uck's trailer. He was delivering dairy products on a pallet using a pallet jack when the lift gate collapsed. His right leg was hit by the pallet jack as he fel l and he fractured his knee, sprained his back and received bruised bones.

Incident on Jul 31, 1995: Employee injured in fall from milkbox

The employer, Berkeley Farms, operates a dairy products distribution warehouse. Employee #1 was the assistant supervisor/salesman in charge of the ice cream war ehouse. When a salesman informed him that a new customer needed some ice cream, he went to the ice cream building ahead of the salesman. While the salesman was getting ready to enter the freezer, he heard a crashing sound inside. Employee # 1 apparently had stood on a milkbox to get a 3-gallon tub of ice cream but the m ilkbox tipped or slipped. Employee #1 fell to the floor, sustaining a concussion , broken right clavicle, and broken ribs.

Incident on Dec 30, 1994: Employee injured when struck in stomach by hand truck handle

Employee #1, a foreman for Berkeley Farms, Inc., for more than 30 years, was pus hing a hand truck loaded with 300 to 400 lb of crushed or compact cardboard boxe s from a compactor to a warehouse when the wheel of the hand truck hit a crack i n the concrete driveway. The hand truck and the load jolted forward, then backwa rd, causing the handle to strike Employee #1 in the stomach, which caused a side -tear in the spleen. He continued to work that day and the next day, a Saturday. On Sunday morning, Employee #1 had difficulty breathing. He called his supervis or and got permission to go to the hospital. He went to his personal physician, who sent him to Presbyterian Hospital in San Francisco. Employee #1 was released from the hospital on January 4, 1995. On January 20, 1995, he underwent a splen ectomy at Mt. Zion Hospital and was released on January 23, 1995. When Employee #1 was interviewed on February 7, 1995, he was still suffering great pain. The i nvestigation was completed on February 14, 1995. It has been determined that Emp loyee #1's injury was caused by the violation of a safety order as set forth in Title 8 of California code of regulations, section T8CCR 3328(a) of general indu stry safety orders. Equipment was used under conditions and with loads which end anger the employee. The employer was cited accordingly.