Simplot AB Retail, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jan 10, 2022 (fatal): Employee suffers heart attack and dies while fumigating fiel

At 10:20 a.m. on January 10, 2022, an employee, an agricultural field fumigator, picked up a tractor and fumigation equipment and drove it to the field to be fumigated. The employee and a coworker loaded the tractor spray tanks at the field with K-Pam, a soil fumigant, using the required personal protective equipment. Before beginning spraying the soil fumigant in the field, the employee and coworker began adjusting the spray bar at the rear of the tractor so that it was properly positioned to spray the fumigant. While adjusting the spray bar, the employee stated that he did not feel well and collapsed backwards. The coworker called for emergency services. EMS responded to the scene but the employee was pronounced dead in field. The cause of death was determined to be cardiopulmonary arrest and coronary artery disease.

Incident on Jun 25, 2021: Employee suffers chemical burns from exothermic reaction dur

At approximately 2:56 p.m. on June 25, 2021, an employee working for an agricultural chemical supplier was pumping chemicals into an orchard irrigation tote at a field located near Stockton, CA. While performing the routine chemical transfer, the employee inadvertently pumped the wrong chemical, causing a rapid exothermic reaction that ruptured the tank and released chemicals over the employee. The chemicals involved included sodium chlorite (30%) and etidronic acid. The employee was badly burned on the chest and lower body and suffered lung damage from inhalation of vapors. The employee was transported to a burn unit for hospitalization and treatment. The investigation found the labeling, hoses, totes, and equipment were nearly identical and lacked mechanical safeguards to prevent cross-contamination.