OSHA has inspected Hester Orchards, Inc 2 times in California since 2014.
The latest one began on Nov 20, 2017 after an accident, in Visalia.
Those inspections ended with 6 citation items: 1 serious and 5 other-than-serious.
Penalties were first proposed at $38,000 and now stand at $22,500, 41% lower after settlements or reviews.
How that compares: the median penalty per cited inspection for farming, fishing and forestry employers since 2015 is $1,440, and Hester Orchards, Inc averages $22,500 (1 cited inspection).
Hester Orchards, Inc also files yearly injury logs with OSHA, summarized below.
Inspection 342782513 OPENED NOV 20, 2017Closed
Accident · Partial · Safety · 60 employees at the site · Closed Jun 21, 2022
26800 Road 164, Visalia, CA 93292 · All Other Miscellaneous Crop Farming · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
Incident on Oct 18, 2017: Employee pushes hand into elevator conveyor belt and amputat
At 10:00 a.m. on October 18, 2017, an employee was clearing debris from the main elevator belt D1 conveyor. The employee lost his balance as he reached over and fell forward, thrusting his hand into a pinch point. The employee partially amputated three fingers from his left hand and required surgery to repair the tendons of his thumb. The employee was hospitalized.
| Citation and rule | Type | Proposed | Current | Issued | Status |
|---|
| Citation 1, item 1 29 CFR 342(A) |
Other-than-serious | $5,000 | $2,250 | Apr 17, 2018 | Final |
| Citation 1, item 2 29 CFR 3203(A)(4) |
Other-than-serious | $750 | $0 | Apr 17, 2018 | Final |
| Citation 1, item 3 29 CFR 4650(E) |
Other-than-serious | $750 | $750 | Apr 17, 2018 | Final |
| Citation 2, item 1 29 CFR 3314(C) |
Serious | $18,000 | $18,000 | Apr 17, 2018 | Final |
| Citation 3, item 1 29 CFR 3577(E) |
Other-than-serious | $6,750 | $750 | Apr 17, 2018 | Final |
| Citation 4, item 1 29 CFR 3999(B) |
Other-than-serious | $6,750 | $750 | Apr 17, 2018 | Final |
From the Form 300A summaries employers file with OSHA each year. Rate = recordable cases per 100 full-time workers.
In 2024, the Visalia site logged 2 recordable injuries or illnesses among about 44 workers: 4.1 per 100 full-time workers, against a median of 3.9 for its industry. Those cases cost 6 days away from work.
Current text from the Code of Federal Regulations. Some citations were issued under older wording.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement data. A citation is OSHA's allegation; employers can contest it, and the status column shows where each item stands. Something wrong on this page? Tell us.
