Safeway Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Dec 26, 2021: Tow motor operator's leg is crushed as throttle malfunctions

At 11:00 a.m. on December 26, 2021, an employee was working as an operator of industrial trucks for a chain of supermarkets. She was working at a warehouse. She was operating an electric riding pallet jack, or tow motor. She was on the morning shift performing her regular duties as an order selector. She took her lunch break at 10:30 a.m. to about 11:00 a.m. Returning from lunch, she entered the warehouse from the parking lot and boarded the same tow motor she had during the morning to drive to the time clock located near the shipping office. When she started the tow motor, she bumped into another parked tow motor. The throttle controller on her tow motor was malfunctioning. A coworker told her to get another tow motor after she clocked in. She hopped back on the tow motor, put it in rabbit mode (that is, high speed mode), and drove toward time clock on the open floor. Two other tow motors were in front of her, both approaching and slowing to enter a one-way doorway. The employee was going too fast and unable to slow down, reportedly due to the faulty throttle controller. She swerved left to avoid a collision with the other tow motors and attempted to drive through another door, marked "do not enter," against opposing traffic. When she saw oncoming tow motor headed at her, she turned her tow motor into the center of the two doors, directly into the yellow metal bollards between the doorways. She attempted to jump off her tow motor seconds before striking the metal bollard. Her leg was crushed between her tow motor and the center divider wall or bollard pole. She suffered a laceration in her lower right leg, with an open fracture of her right tibia. She was hospitalized.

Incident on Oct 9, 2021: Employee fractures ribs after tripping on uneven floor

At 4:00 a.m. on October 9, 2021, an employee was walking out of the walk-in freezer at the Safeway grocery store where he was a baker. The employee entered the freezer to pick up a box of frozen donuts that was approximately 10 inches by 12 inches by 8 inches and weighed 20 lbs. When the employee was leaving the freezer while carrying the box, he tripped on a crack on the floor and fell on top of the box. The employee was in pain and had difficulty breathing when he stood up, and he went to the supervisor to request help. The supervisor brought the employee to the break room to rest and called for an ambulance when his condition did not improve. The employee was transported to the hospital and hospitalized for approximately three days for treatment of three fractured ribs on his left side. The employer fixed the floor crack immediately after the accident and stated that there was a work order to fix the crack prior to the accident.

Incident on Sep 17, 2021 (fatal): Employee with covid-19 infection dies

On September 17, 2021, an employee had been working for a grocery store as a Baker when he died from COVID-19. The bakery is contained in a approximately 59 foot by 27.5 foot area within the store. The employer learned that the employee was hospitalized on September 17, 2021. The date, time and other details leading up to exposure are not indicated in the narrative. Information regarding engineering, administrative and personal protective equipment controls for COVID-19 are also not included in the narrative, but the employer did not have an adequate COVID-19 Prevention Program in place.

Incident on Aug 8, 2021: Employee lacerates thumb while cleaning meat slicer

At approximately 6:07 p.m. on August 8, 2021, an employee working as a deli clerk was cleaning a Bizerba slicer in the deli department of a grocery store. Although the slicer's power was shut off, the power source was not fully de-energized. The employee accidentally activated the power switch with his elbow, causing the slicer to engage and catch the glove on his right hand. His hand was pulled into the blade, resulting in a laceration to the right thumb. The employee was not wearing a cut-proof glove at the time and was treated without hospitalization. There were no witnesses to the accident, and the employer was not cited for any accident-related violations.

Incident on May 2, 2021: Employee crushes foot when run over by tow motor during oper

At 12:00 p.m. on May 2, 2021, an employee working as a stock clerk for a grocery store had received instructions to bring a pallet of eggs into the warehouse. The employee was operating a Linde Model PALW60 Tow Motor (Serial Number 2653-1611) in the stock room when he slipped on the concrete stockroom floor. The employee was still holding onto the tow motor with the PIV engaged in the "on" position causing it continue to move and roll over his right foot. The employee was hospitalized to treat crushing injuries to his foot and required surgery to reduce the swelling.

Incident on Apr 20, 2021: Employee sustains contusions to arm when crushed in bread ma

At 10:15 a.m. on April 20, 2021, an employee working as a baker helper for a supermarket was working in the bakery department. The department makes bread and other baked products. The employee and a coworker who was a trainer were making loaves of bread to be baked later. The employee and coworker were using an LVO Model SM24 Sheeter/Moulder Machine (SN: SM24-1100-0703) to form the loaves. The employee works directly for the employer. The employee was placing bread dough balls into the top of the machine to be processed through a series of rollers and then onto a conveyor belt to be formed into loaves. One of the dough balls inside the machine fell behind the rolls and the conveyor. The employee removed the rear cover and stuck her right hand into the machine to retrieve the fallen dough ball. As she did the, the conveyor and rolls contacted her hand pulling her hand and arm into the machine and causing her to become stuck inside the machine. The fire department responded and extricated the employee from the machine. The employee crushed her hand and arm resulting in contusions. She was transported to local hospital, where she received medical treatment without hospitalization.

Incident on Jan 4, 2021: Employee with covid-19 infection is hospitalized

An employee had been working for a supermarket chain. On December 9, 2020, the employee reported experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms to the company nurse. The employee's symptoms included fever, chills, severe headache, body aches, coughing, and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. On December 17, 2020, the employee went to the hospital. On that same day, the employee was tested for COVID-19 and received a positive test result. In the hospital the employee was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and pneumonia due to his COVID-19 infection and was administered oxygen. On December 28, 2020, employee was discharged from the hospital. The employee had been off work from December 7, 2020 to February 25, 2021. The employee reported he is still experiencing shortness of breath and headaches after returning to work. The employee reported close contact with a coworker inside a trailer on the B dock of the asset recovery center at around 5:00 p.m. on December 5, 2020. The coworker later tested positive for COVID-19. The coworker disagreed that the encounter occurred in a trailer. The coworker was also hospitalized and was off work for two weeks.

Incident on Dec 9, 2020: Employee fractures hip in fall after losing consciousness

At 1:47 p.m. on December 9, 2020, an employee was working in the deli department of a grocery store as Deli Clerk. The camera in the deli department recorded the employee helping a customer at the register then immediately after the transaction was completed her lower leg shakes for a moment and she stumbled backwards. The employee then went ridged and collapsed to the ground landing between a sink and some shelving where she remained for several minutes until she regained consciousness. When the employee was found by a coworker, she was bent over holding on to the shelving. The coworker stated that the employee didn't look well and that she seemed very pale. The employee complained of back and hip pain and that her leg felt weak. The employee didn't know that she had fallen at that time. Since the employee wasn't feeling well, she called her son to come pick her up from work because she didn't feel like she could drive safely. Once the son arrived, the employee proceeded to head home however the pain in her hip got worse so they diverted to the hospital, where she was admitted and it was found that she had a fractured her pelvis.

Incident on Sep 28, 2020: Employee amputates fingertip in auger

At 12:30 p.m. on September 28, 2020, an employee was working on bottom and his partner on top. The operator at the top had left his position and only the operator at the bottom was operating the equipment. The employee thought the top operator had turned off the equipment and that they were getting ready to clean stuck product debris out of the hopper and auger. The machine was not off. When the bottom employee placed his hand in the machine, he was caught and stuck on his glove at the auger, causing injury to the right index finger. The employer called 911, and the employee was transported by Riggs Ambulance to Emanuel Medical Center, Turlock. The employee was admitted on September 29, 2020; the employee had surgery and was discharged on September 30, 2020. They were unable to reattach the amputated fingertip and used skin grafting to suture up the wound. The finger was amputated at the dip joint.

Incident on Oct 4, 2020 (fatal): Employee with covid-19 infection dies

At 12:30 a.m. on October 4, 2020, an employee was a merchandiser. On October 5, 2020, the Cal-OSHA Foster City District Office was notified by the employer, Safeway, of a fatality to one of their employees that occurred on October 4, 2020. On October 16, 2020, an inspection with the employer was initiated. He died due to COVID-19 complications on October 4, 2020.

Incident on May 23, 2020: Employee fractures femur in fall to ground

At 11:30 a.m. on May 23, 2020, an employee, a produce clerk, was pushing a rolling cart from the produce area toward the back door in the grocery store. The employee reached to align a box on the cart with her left hand, lost her balance, and then fell over onto the ground. The employee was hospitalized to treat a fractured left femur. No accident-related citations were issued.

Incident on Jan 10, 2019: Employee is struck by blade cutting meat, amputates thumb

At 8:00 a.m. on January 10, 2019, an employee was using a Hobart Model 6801 Band Saw cutting 3/4 inch ham steaks. The employee was holding the meat using his right hand as a guide and his left hand as a guard to prevent the meat from rolling during cutting. As the employee was cutting the meat he lost grip and his hand struck saw blade. The employee amputated his right thumb and was hospitalized.

Incident on Oct 17, 2017: Employee contracts valley fever while making deliveries

At 10:00 a.m. on October 17, 2017, an employee was making deliveries to stores and a waste treatment plant using a truck. The employee inhaled spore of coccidioides immitis and contracted coccidioidomycosis/Valley Fever.

Incident on Oct 12, 2017: Employee's finger is amputated when caught in a valve being

At 11:00 p.m. on October 12, 2017, an employee was disassembling a valve on a component of the employer owned Tetra equipment. As the employee was working on this valve, the pressurized air line popped off. Pressurize air of between 90 to 93 PSI was necessary to maintain the spring loaded valve in the open position. When the air line disconnected, the valve closed. The employees left middle finger was in the valve when it closed. The employee's left middle finger was amputated at the first joint.

Incident on Oct 15, 2017: Employee is injured in fall from trailer

At 8:00 a.m. on October 15, 2017, Employee #1, a truck driver, was making a delivery to a grocery store. He was using a motorized hand truck to unload a tractor trailer via a lift gate. As he unloaded the trailer, he fell from the lift gate to the ground. Employee #1 sustained fractures to his ribs and face, as well as a brain hemorrhage. He was hospitalized for his injuries.

Incident on Jul 23, 2017: Employee falls on level ground and strikes head on cooler

At 2:00 a.m. on July 23, 2017, an employee was working for a supermarket chain. He and a coworker were about to team lift something. They were using a pallet jack. When the pallet jack was moved during the lift, it rolled back into the path of the employee. He tripped on the pallet jack and fell backward. He struck his head on a cooler. He was not hospitalized.

Incident on Jul 15, 2017: Employee is splashed with chemicals to eyes and face and suf

At 1:53 a.m. on July 15, 2017, an employee was opening a ball valve that conveyed acid sanitizer to a day tank. The employee turned on the pump and opened the ball valve which suddenly ruptured and sprayed chemicals into the employee's eyes and face. The employee was hospitalized and suffered chemical conjunctivitis to both eyes.

Incident on Jun 6, 2017: Employee is struck by falling pallet and is injured

At 8:49 a.m. on June 6, 2017, an employee was working in a warehouse. While in aisle #21, selecting items, a coworker was in a neighboring aisle, #30, and unintentionally bumped a pallet of paper towels. The pallet fell into isle #21 and struck the employee in the head. The employee sustained a mild concussion and a laceration to the back of his head.

Incident on Apr 27, 2017: Employee fractures leg when struck by forklift

At approximately 8:45 a.m. on April 27, 2017, an employee was traveling down Aisle Number 79 while a coworker was traveling down Aisle Number 82. The coworker drove into Aisle Number 82 and struck the employee with the forklift. The employee suffered a fracture to left leg and ankle which required surgery to insert pins or plate. The employee was hospitalized and treated for his injuries.

Incident on Jan 17, 2017: Employee sustains laceration when caught between forklift an

At 8:30 a.m. on January 17, 2017, Employee #1 was putting away a forklift that had been returned from the maintenance shop. The forklift was parked next to the charging station gate by the interchange department. The employee unlocked the gate and opened it, then got on the forklift to put it away in the charging area. The gate closed, but was resting at an angle so that the gate pole was sticking out. Employee #1's right leg was impaled by the gate pole and he was pinned between the forklift and the gate. The employee was not hospitalized. hospitalized.

Incident on Jan 21, 2014: Meat cutter amputates tip of thumb

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on January 21, 2014, Employee #1, a 72-year-old male retired Butcher with Safeway Inc., was working as a Floater in the meat departme nt at a site located in San Francisco, California. Employee #1 started work at a pproximately 11:00 a.m. It was Employee #1's third day to work at the site and t he Assistant Meat Department Manager gave Employee #1 a list of things to do tha t day. At the time of the incident, Employee #1 was slicing bone-in pork using a Hobart Meat Bandsaw, Model Number 5801-2, Serial Number 27-1096-764 in the Meat Department. Also present in the Meat Department was a coworker, who was bent do wn facing the garbage container as he was throwing away expired meat. Employee # 1 had his back turned facing the bandsaw as he was slicing meat when the coworke r heard Employee #1 exclaim with a feeling of pain; the coworker thought Employe e #1 poked his hand with the pork bone. When the coworker asked what happened, E mployee #1 told the coworker that he got his thumb caught with the saw. At the t ime, Employee #1 was cutting bone-in pork that was approximately 4 to 6 in. and was not using a pusher plate. Employee #1 stated that he slightly turned his hea d and lost focus and suffered a partial tip amputation of the left thumb. Employ ee #1 was taken to Kaiser Hospital, where he was treated for his injury and rele ased on the same day. Employee #1 was a retiree with 32 years of service. Employ ee #1 was permitted to work sixty-three hours per month and had had been working as a Floater with Safeway for seven years. As a Floater, a union dispatcher wou ld send Employee #1 to a store that was in need of a meat-cutter. The last Meat Bandsaw Safety Training provided by Safeway to Employee #1 was on July 15, 2008.

Incident on Jun 21, 2013: Employee lacerates toe with pallet jack, later amputated

At about 10:30 p.m. on June 21, 2013, Employee #1, with Safeway, Inc., was opera ting an electric powered pallet jack, which he used to remove a pallet of goods from the trailer to the loading dock. Employee #1 caught his right small toe bet ween the depression in the floor at the loading dock and the frame of pallet jac k. This resulted in the laceration of the first digit of the right pinkie toe. E mployee #1 was transported to the hospital by his coworker almost at the end of the shift at 4:00 a.m. the next day. Employee #1 was treated and discharged from the emergency room at 8:00 a.m. on June 22, 2013. Employee #1 stayed home from work for a recovery period, with regular follow-up doctor's appointments at the hospital for the necessary continuous medical attention. However, Employee #1 su ffered a diagnosis of tissue necropsy on the toe. On August 15, 2013, both the r ight pinkie toe's necrotic tissue was removed, and the toe's first digit was amp utated at the follow-up medical facility.

Incident on Jul 27, 2013: Employee slips and falls and fractures leg

At approximately 8:00 p.m. on July 26, 2013, Employee #1, store clerk, was worki ng in the seafood department of a store. His regular duties included bringing ou t stocks and products from a walk in freezer and shelving them in the store for sale the following day. He had made six trips in and out of the freezer, when on his seventh trip; he noticed the boxes of shrimps at the back wall of the freez er. Employee #1 decided to gather one of the boxes and included it on his sevent h trip. After picking up the box, he turned around and took a step or two, when he stepped either on a mound of ice or a chunk of ice on the floor, which caused him to slip and lose his balance. His left foot went up in the air and went dow n and he landed hard on his right leg, fracturing the femur. Emergency medical p ersonnel were summoned. They arrived and transported him to a medical center, wh ere he was hospitalized over three days for treatment on the femur fracture.

Incident on Jun 17, 2013: Worker sustains sprained ankle in fall from loading dock

On June 17, 2013, an employee was working as the operator of an industrial truck at a grocery store chain's warehouse. He was loading a trailer, when the traile r pulled away from the loading dock. He fell approximately 53 inches (1.3 meters ) to the ground, and he sustained a sprained right ankle.

Incident on Jun 6, 2013: Employee fractures arm/shoulder in trash conveyor

On June 6, 2013, Employee #1, with Safeway Inc., was cleaning the trash conveyor when his right hand was caught by the roller. Employee #1 was hospitalized, wit h fractures of the shoulder and arm.

Incident on Aug 4, 2012: Employee sustained finger amputation with a meat cutting ban

At approximately 2:45 p.m., on August 4, 2012, Employee #1, a meat cutter of Saf eway Inc., suffered an amputation to his left thumb tip while cutting meat with a meat cutting band saw. Employee #1 was tasked with cutting bone in rib steak w ith a Hobart meat cutting band saw: Model #5801 and Serial #27-147-916. The bone -in rib steak was being cut to shorter lengths for packaging. Employee #1 had ma de several successful cuts and was attempting another cut when his left thumb wa s positioned too close to the saw blade and the tip was severed just above the j oint. Employee #2, another meat cutter, was wrapping meat behind Employee #1, an d as he turned to put a package on a rack behind Employee #1, he noticed Employe e #1 pull away from the saw. Employee #2 asked Employee #1 if he was ok; Employe e #1 was holding his hand and said that he had cut himself pretty bad. The Meat Department Manager was immediately notified and Emergency services were called; Employee #1 was transported to John Muir Hospital in Concord for further treatme nt.

Incident on Jun 25, 2012: Delivery driver fractures leg in fall from truck

On June 25, 2012, an employee was working for a chain of grocery stores. He was climbing out of the back of his box tractor-trailer, when he lost his grip on th e truck's grab bar handle. He fell out backward onto concrete pavement. The empl oyee fell approximately 53 inches (1.35 meters), landing on the right side of hi s body. He was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment of his i njuries. He was admitted as an inpatient for surgery and hospitalization for mul tiple compound fractures in his right leg.

Incident on Jun 21, 2012: Employee partially amputates two fingers using a band saw

At about 3:25 p.m. on June 21, 2012, Employee #1, a meat cutter with Safeway Inc ., was cutting beef shanks into slices when his index and middle fingers on his right hand came into contact with the running saw blade. As a result, Employee # 1 suffered a partial amputation of these fingers. He was hospitalized for 12 day s. He underwent surgery to reattach his fingers. Employee #1 stated that he did not use a pusher plate when he was cutting beef shank on the band saw because he was not taught to use it for this operation, for slicing shanks. The Employer p rovided signed documents by Employee #1 (on the band saw safety sheet) which inc luded a statement "you must use the pusher plate when cutting close to the produ ct to prevent your fingers from getting too close to the blade." However, Employ ee #1 never used the pusher plate and was not trained to use it. Employee #1's s upervisor (the current meat manager) admitted that he had observed Employee #1 c ut beef shanks in the past without using a pusher-plate on the band-saw It was d etermined that the employer failed to: implement safety training (T8 CCR 4543(c) ); and, ensure that its employee used the pusher plate provided with the Hobart Meat Band Saw (Model 6801),when slicing short ends of meat.

Incident on May 3, 2012: Employee's hand is crushed between pallet jacks

On May 3, 2012 Employee #1 a truck driver of Safeway Inc was using a pallet jack to remove pallets of food items from his truck. Employee #1's left hand was cru shed between the pallet handle jack he was operating and the handle of a forklif t truck. Employee #1 was making a turn with his pallet jack. Employee #1's left hand was pinched between the handle of the parked forklift truck as the two hand les met on the curve of Employee #1's turn. Employee #1 was taken to the Hospita l where he was treated and released for severe crushing of the soft tissue of hi s left hand.

Incident on Apr 7, 2012: Employee slips and falls from trailer and is injured

On April 7, 2012, Employee #1 was operating a tractor-trailer. He needed to insp ect the load and climbed into the rear of the tractor-trailer. While checking an d securing the load, Employee #1 slipped and tumbled backwards, falling out of t he trailer. He landed on his left side and back and sustained unspecified injuri es. Employee #1 was transported by taxi to the nearest local hospital. He was tr eated and released to go home for the day. Within hours of being released, his c ondition worsened, and he became unresponsive at home. His family summoned emerg ency medical personnel. Employee #1 was transported by ambulance to a medical ce nter, where he was diagnosed with a ruptured spleen and several broken ribs. He was immediately admitted and taken to surgery and then hospitalized for 11 days.

Incident on Oct 12, 2011: Employee amputates finger on band saw blade

At approximately 12:00 p.m. on October 12, 2011, Employee #1, a meat cutter, was slicing the short end of a New York steak, which was 2.5-inch thick. He was fee ding a chunk of New York steak into the Hobart Meat Band Saw, Model 5801, and Se rial Number 27-1078-286, using his left hand. When the steak was down to 2.5-inc h, the saw blade hit the bone of the meat and the small piece of meat flipped ov er, pulling his hand into the saw blade, cutting the tip of his thumb and rippin g the skin off of his index finger. Employee #1 did not use the pusher plate pro vided with the meat saw to feed/push the small piece of meat to the saw. A cowor ker who was wrapping sliced meats saw Employee #1 holding his hand and appeared to be in pain. When he realized Employee #1 was injured, the coworker notified t he Assistant Manager. He was driven to the hospital, where he remained and was t reated for his injury.

Incident on May 14, 2011: Employee sprains ankle in fall from shelf

On May 14, 2011, Employee #1 was located on the top shelf of a warehouse storage facility to straighten boxes and inventory. However, during his work he was ask ed to come down immediately. As he descended the shelf, Employee #1 fell approxi mately 6 to7 feet, suffering a sprained ankle.

Incident on Sep 26, 2010: Employee's leg is injured when crushed between equipment

At approximately 7:00 p.m. on September 26, 2010, Employee #1 was operating a fo rklift to perform selecting operations in the refrigeration and produce departme nts of a Safeway distribution center. While proceeding down an aisle, he encount ered two other forklifts that blocked his route. Employee #1 applied the brakes but was unable to stop before his forklift collided with one of the others. His left leg and ankle became pinned between them. Employee #1 was transported by am bulance to San Joaquin General Hospital, and then transferred to UC Davis, where he was hospitalized for treatment of the crushing injuries.

Incident on Sep 25, 2010: Employee suffers injury in pallet truck accident

At approximately 5:20 a.m. on September 25, 2010, Employee #1 was loading basket s into a trailer with an electric powered pallet truck. Employee #1 was driving the truck load into the trailer when his right big toe was caught and run over b y the truck's rear wheel. His toe was crushed and partially amputated.

Incident on Jul 25, 2010: Employee's finger is amputated by saw

On July 25, 2010, Employee #1, a meat cutter of Safeway Incorporated, was cuttin g port butt using both hands to push through the Hobart meat band saw blade. The saw teeth caught on the meat bone, causing the meat to flip over and make conta ct with Employee #1's finger and the blade. Employee's #1's right middle finger tip was amputated, and he was transported to the hospital for treatment.

Incident on Dec 14, 2009: Employee's fingers are amputated when struck against bandsaw

On December 14, 2009, Employee #1 was cutting a frozen "bone-in" ham into slices . He was working alone. The band saw blade guard was raised to accommodate the h eight of the ham. As the ham was being cut, the blade caught the meat or bone, c ausing the ham to twist out from between the pusher plate and gauge plate. Becau se Employee #1 was applying pressure on the pusher plate to hold the ham in plac e, his hand moved forward into the path of the band saw blade. His right index f inger and thumb were amputated, and he was hospitalized for his injuries.

Incident on Oct 22, 2009: Employee's finger is amputated when struck by falling pallet

At approximately 6:50 p.m. on October 22, 2009, Employee #1 was using an electri c pallet jack to load a trailer with wooden pallets that were apparently stacked to a height of approximately 7 feet. The top pallet fell, as it struck the side of the trailer. The pallet hit Employee #1's left hand and caused Employee #1's middle finger tip to be amputated.

Incident on Sep 8, 2009 (fatal): Employee is burned by slip and fall into hot oil of a fryer

At 5:30 a.m. on September 8, 2009, Employee #1 was walking around the bakery are a at the Safeway grocery store doing his regular job of frying donuts. He was ap proaching the fryer loaded with hot oil when he tripped and lunged forward. He t ried to hold on to the fryer frame to prevent him from falling, but his hands sl ipped and his arms plunged into the hot oil. As a result, he sustained serious b urns to both arms.

Incident on Feb 25, 2009: Employee amputates thumb in band saw

At approximately 6:00 p.m. on February 25, 2009, an employee, an apprentice meat cutter, was cutting one inch bone rib eye steak with Hobart band saw. As he was running the meat through the band saw, his hand slipped and made contact with t he band saw blade. The employee's right tip of thumb was amputated. Emergency me dical services were called, and the employee was transported to Kaiser-Santa Ter esa Hospital, where he was treated and released the same day.

Incident on Feb 13, 2009: Employee's hand is crushed between rack and tow motor

On February 13, 2009, an employee smashed his hand between a rack and the tow mo tor he was operating. He received several stitches to his hand. The employee was treated and released at the hospital the same day.

Incident on Dec 2, 2008: Employee crashes pallet jack, suffers unspecified fractures

Employee #1 was operating a pallet jack, going down an isle in the Produce Depar tment. Employee #1 became disoriented, and ran into some storage racks and palle ts. Employee #1 suffered unspecified fractures and was hospitalized.

Incident on Sep 5, 2008: Employee is injured when losses control of tow motor

On September 5, 2008, Employee #1 was operating a tow motor in a warehouse. He w as going around a corner, lost control of the vehicle, and struck some racks. He fractured his ribs and arm, and punctured his lung. Employee #1 was hospitalize d.

Incident on Jul 8, 2008 (fatal): Employee collapses and dies from heat stroke

Employee #1, a mechanic, died from heat stroke while working in the service bay area of the truck maintenance shop.

Incident on Jan 1, 2008: Employee is injured from finger burn and amputation

At approximately 8:30 p.m. on January 1, 2008, Employee #1, a deli worker at a l arge supermarket, worked with a Chester Fried deep fryer (CF-400 Model A11209970 3). She did not wear the sanitized, insulated gloves provided by the employer to be used when working around hot surfaces or materials (Saf T Gard Intl Model 67 81R06-10). Employee #1 burned her right index finger and did not initially seek medical care; she subsequently required a finger tip amputation due to medical c omplications. The amputation surgery was performed on May 8, 2008. This incident was reported by the employer to the Santa Rosa DOSH office at 3:15 p.m. on May 12, 2008.

Incident on Jan 31, 2008: Employee's foot is crushed when run over by forklift

On May 9, 2008, Employee #1 and a coworker were working in the storage area. Emp loyee #1 was run over by a forklift operated by the coworker and sustained multi ple injuries. Employee #1 was hospitalized with compound fractures to his right ankle and foot. Ultimately, his right foot was amputated. Employee #1 worked for General Warehousing and Storage.

Incident on Feb 20, 2008: Worker slips on dock and fractures her leg

An employee working as a clerk was walking on a dock on her way to clock in. She slipped and fell on a level surface. She sustained a leg fracture.

Incident on Jun 29, 2007: Employee fractures hip while operating pallet jack

While operating a pallet jack, Employee #1 reached for a piece of paper on top o f the battery box on the pallet jack and struck a pole. Employee #1 fractured hi s hip(s) and was hospitalized.

Incident on Jul 7, 2007: Employee amputates finger in meat cutting bandsaw

At approximately 1:45 p.m. on July 7, 2007, an employee was operating a Hobart m eat-cutting bandsaw, no identification, cutting baby back ribs. His left hand sl ipped, causing amputation of left index finger and tip of the left thumb. The em ployee was hospitalized and treated for his injuries.

Incident on May 26, 2007: Employee's is finger amputated by bandsaw

On May 26, 2007, Employee #1 was cutting ribs with a bandsaw. His little finger struck the blade, and a portion of his finger was amputated.

Incident on Feb 20, 2007: Employee tripped and injures knee

At approximately 9:50 a.m. on February 20, 2007, Employee #1, a general merchand ise clerk working in a grocery store, walked through a doorway near the produce department, when she tripped on the foot of a delivery person. Employee #1 fell to the floor, seriously injuring her knee.

Incident on Oct 3, 2006: Employee's fingertip is amputated by meat band saw

At approximately 4:10 p.m. on October 3, 2006, Employee #1 was operating a Hobar t meat-cutting band saw with a 0.5-in. blade, Model Number 6801, Serial Number 2 7-1101-702, at a Safeway store. He was cutting 1-in. thick slices of a New York Steak and was injured when he contacted the blade with two fingers on his right hand. He was hospitalized for the amputation of the finger tip of his index fing er. The saw was guarded properly and the guard was in place and used.

Incident on Aug 7, 2006: Employee's finger is amputated by roller

At approximately 3:10 p.m. on August 6, 2006, Employee #1 was cleaning the rolle rs of a Sheeter/Molder, (Serial Number SM24-0704-1109), at LVO Manufacturing, In corporated. With the machine running, Employee #1 used a 6-in. by 4-in. scraper to remove dry cake dough. Then, she used a degreaser and towel to clean the roll ers. The towel and her finger were pulled into the rollers. She was treated for a partial amputation of her left index finger. She had not been given an operato r's manual and had cleaned the machine in the manner in which she has been train ed.

Incident on Mar 20, 2006: Two employees are asphyxiated when exposed to chemicals

On 20 March 2006, Employees #1 and #2 of Safeway were exposed to chemicals and w ere asphyxiated.

Incident on Dec 24, 2005: Employee fractures leg when struck by forklift

A forklift operator was driving out of the cheese bay of a large grocery distrib ution center with the forks forward, extended, and raised 3 feet high, when he c ollided with a tow motor being driven by Employee #1. Employee #1 suffered a fra ctured leg and was hospitalized.

Incident on Aug 15, 2005: Employee fractures legs while operating industrial truck

On August 15, 2005, Employee #1 was a full-time employee at a large grocery dist ribution center. He was working as the operator of an industrial truck, such as a Towmotor, retrieving groceries to be shipped. The only equipment involved was this truck. In some unspecified manner, Employee #1 was caught and struck by the truck. He sustained two broken legs and a laceration to his right thigh. He was hospitalized.

Incident on Apr 11, 2005: Employee is injured in fall from car

At approximately 11:30 p.m. on April 11, 2005, Safeway employees were engaged in horseplay in the store parking lot. Employee #1 jumped on the back of a coworke r's car. When the coworker backed the car and turned into a parking spot, Employ ee #1 fell off. Her face struck the pavement, and she lost consciousness. Employ ee #1 was hospitalized for a concussion, a cervical disc injury, and a left hand fracture.

Incident on Sep 23, 2004: Employee's thumb fractured between pallet jack and rack

At approximately 6:00 a.m. on September 23, 2004, Employee #1, a food clerk, was moving a pallet of bagged compost with a Linde-Baker electric-powered pallet tr uck. The pallet was 40-in. wide by 48-in. long by 4-in. thick. The truck was 32- in. wide measured side-to-side by 72-in. long including the forks. The truck's m ovement can be controlled by tilting backward or forward with a T-shape handle w ith an 18-in. horizontal member and a 42-in. vertical member. The pallet was sit ting on a concrete floor by a wall on one side of a 130-in. wide aisle. On the o ther side of the aisle was a steel rack for storage of merchandise. Employee #1 first moved the truck forward to pick up the pallet. She then tilted the handle backward with her right hand to move the truck backward. The handle's vertical m ember hit the bottom level of the rack. The handle straightened up and hit the h orizontal member of the rack's second level. Her right hand was caught between t he rack and the horizontal member of the truck's handle. She sustained serious t issue damages and a fractured right thumb and was hospitalized.

Incident on Oct 20, 2003: Fourteen employees are treated for chemical vapor exposure

On October 20, 2003, Employee #1, a grocery store deli manager, was using bleach on the floor of the store when it reacted with an acid based delimer product st ored under the sink. The delimer had a small pinhole in the container and had le aked through onto the floor. Employee #1 complained of a sore throat and dizzine ss from a chemical reaction caused by the mixture of the two cleaning products. The Truckee Fire Protection District evacuated Employee #1 and twelve additional employees. Fourteen employees were transported to Tahoe Forest Hospital, where they were hospitalized. Thirteen employees received breathing treatments and Emp loyee #14 received additional treatment intravenously.

Incident on Aug 5, 2003: Bandsaw amputates employee's fingers

At approximately 11:08 a.m. on August 5, 2003, Employee #1, was using a band saw and had just finished cutting the last piece of meat and placed it in the tray. When Employee #1 stepped back to reach down and turn off the saw, the matt she was standing on slipped out from under her and the fingers contacted the saw bla de causing the amputation of the ring and pinky fingers of the right hand at the second knuckle.

Incident on Apr 30, 2003: Employee injured while removing plastic bottle from conveyor

Employee #1, while operating Blow Mold Machine number 6 at a Safeway, Inc. milk production facility, was removing a damaged bottle from the left side of the con veyor line leading to the trim unit. Three of the carrier plates on this conveyo r line were damaged so that the underlying sprocket chain was exposed. The emplo yee reached for the base of the damaged bottle with his right hand when the conv eyor indexed forward. The middle finger of his right hand was caught in the shea ring action of the carrier plate and the sprocket chain causing a partial amputa tion of his right middle finger. He was transported to US Healthworks and then t ransferred to the Western Hand Center for surgery.

Incident on Aug 17, 2002: Employee's finger is crushed between pallet mover and case

On August 17, 2002, Employee #1, a food clerk at a Safeway grocery store, was us ing a towmotor pallet mover to return a shipment of cookies to the back room. He set the pallet in front of the dairy box and was backing away the towmotor when his left hand became caught against the dairy box, crushing his index finger. H e was hospitalized with his injury.

Incident on Sep 2, 2002: Employee amputates finger while readjusting floor scrubber

On September 2, 2002, an employee raised the lid of a commercial floor scrubber to readjust the unit. The lid fell backward onto his right hand, amputating the tip of his middle finger. The employee was hospitalized for two days, and reatta chment of his fingertip was unsuccessful.

Incident on Jun 7, 2002: Employee injured after falling from loading dock

At approximately 9:15 a.m. on June 17, 2002, Employee #1 and a coworker of Safew ay Inc. entered the back room/dock area. This area is where the store keeps empt y soda trays, bread and eggs containers, empty banana boxes, and things that are to be picked up by warehouse truck drivers, such as pallets of milk crates, dis tress dry goods, recycled plastic bags, cardboard bales, and stacks of wood and plastic pallets. One end of the dock area is a solid concrete wall, the other en d leads to a ramp and at the ground level there is a garbage compactor. The edge of the dock area is open and it is about 49 inches high from the ground up to t he edge. One side of the dock is not used for deliveries anymore and a big garba ge compactor is placed there. At the time of accident, the backdock area had emp ty dollies, bags of garbage from the Deli, empty milk crates and empty plastic p allets, laid up on their sides against a bale of crushed cardboard, and the area was pretty full with stuff to be picked up by a truck driver. The coworker sat on an empty milk crate, smoking a cigarette. As Employee #1 was stacking plastic pallets, few of them were placed on top of a bale of crushed cardboards. He con tinued adding more plastic pallets on top. These plastic pallets have foot on th e bottom that interlock with holes in another plastic pallet when being stacked. The bale was placed near the open side edge of the dock. Employee #1 stepped ba ck with his left foot and stepped off the dock, fracturing his left thigh bone.

Incident on Jun 26, 2001: Employee's finger is amputated in valve

A 38-year-old maintenance worker was troubleshooting a vacuum leak at a Safeway manufacturing facility. A coworker, who was in training, asked about an "open" s ign on a valve. The maintenance worker pointed to the valve, which was 50 millim eters above his head and about 600 millimeters away. As he pointed to the valve, the condenser receiver cycled, and the actuating ball valve closed on his finge r and amputated it. The maintenance worker was hospitalized for his injuries.

Incident on Jan 21, 2001: Employee suffers herniated disk

At approximately 5:30 a.m. on January 21, 2001, Employee #1, an order selector w ho loads truck of products to be delivered to stores following an order from eac h store, was working in the shipping area where dairy products are being stored and shipped to retail stores. Employee #1 was asked by the foreman if he could w ork overtime to unload water from a truck. Since it was an easy job, Employee #1 agreed. At that time, the facility was buying water from an outside vendor due to the power shortage. Normally bottled water is also being processed in the fac ility for distribution to their retail store. Most of the delivery coming in or processed from the company is stacked five cases high. The load of water coming from the outside vendor was stacked on a pallet six cases high. This was the fir st time a load that was six cases high arrived at the facility and it needed to be broken into five-case-high pallets since the company's normal delivery pallet s are five cases high. The day before the foreman asked Employee #1 if he could work overtime to unload water and break it into case high groups Employee #1 was breaking the six-case-high units into five-case-high units by taking the top la yer (seven cases make one layer) and put the layers down on a pallet until a fiv e-case-high pallet is built. As Employee #1 was taking one case from the top and putting it down on the floor, his legs started getting numb and weak and his lo wer back started hurting. Employee #1 lay down on the pallet and could not move. Approximately three pallets of five cases high had already been built at that t ime when the accident happened. A fork lift operator saw Employee #1 in pain and called his supervisor. Employee #1 was hospitalized with a herniated disk.

Incident on Jul 28, 2000: Employee's knee injured when struck by falling pallet

Employee #1 was in the back room of a supermarket, picking up cardboard boxes fr om an aisle lined with stacked pallets of produce and Snapple beverage storage r acks. She was bent over getting boxes for the baler when she was struck by a 4 f t square pallet of nectarines that fell approximately 8 ft from the top of a sta ck to the floor. Employee #1's right knee was fractured in two places, requiring surgery to implant pins. Prior to the accident, a coworker had taken out at lea st two boxes of cantaloupes from this stack of pallets, leaving the nectarine pa llet on top. This caused the remaining boxes on the outer row to compress and th e upper pallet to tip and slide off. No one was working with the stack of pallet s and boxes at the time of the accident.

Incident on Jun 6, 1999: Employee injured when he slipped and fell on wet floor

At about 3:30 a.m., Employee #1 was at work performing his regularly assigned du ties of frying and dipping donuts in chocolate. Approximately four feet away, a double-burner heater, used to melt chocolate, was situated against the wall. Jam med between the wall and the burner were several pieces of cardboard. The cardbo ard spontaneously ignited. It was approximately 11 inches from an open flame and had been in that position for quite some time. Employee #1 responded by securin g water from a nearby sink about 10 feet away. There was a fire extinguisher abo ut 8 feet away, but it was blocked from immediate access. As Employee #1 threw t he water, and turned back to get more, he slipped and fell on the wet surface of the floor. Employee #1 was hospitalized with a fracture.

Incident on Mar 30, 1999: Employee's right ankle broken struck by falling bale

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on March 30, 1999, Employee #1 was working at a card board baler in a grocery store. A bale of compressed boxes had been tied up with wire and was being removed from the baler machine by Employee #1 onto a pre-pla ced pallet. The bale failed to drop freely from the baler so Employee #1 stepped onto the pallet, grabbed the bale with both hands and pulled the bale towards h er in an attempt to shift the bale onto the pallet. As the bale began to move, E mployee #1 lost control of it and began to back away. As Employee #1 backed away , the bale hit her in the chest area, and then her foot became wedged between th e pallet slats. The bale continued to fall forward onto Employee #1 fracturing h er right ankle. Employee #1 yelled and was assisted by another employee. Employe e #1 was hospitalized with a fractured ankle.

Incident on Feb 27, 1999: Employee suffers cuts from contact with the blade

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on February 27, 1999, Employee #1 was assigned to cu t sirloin steaks from a full sirloin side. Employee #1 was in the process of cut ting off the plastic bag from the sirloin side when his hand slipped from the pl astic bag and hit the blade on a Hobart Band saw, Model #56732. The guard on the band saw was up and most of the blade was exposed. According to Employee #1 and other coworkers the band saw guard was frozen in place for about a year exposin g most of the blade. The guard could only be moved by using a mallet to hit it u p or down. The band saw was on at the time and the blade nearly cut off Employee #1's right index finger. Employee #1 was hospitalized for his injuries.