Sun Pacific: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jun 23, 2006: Employee is burned by sulfuric acid

At approximately 2:00 p.m. on June 23, 2006, a truck driver, was unloading sulfu ric acid. Instead of securing the 2-in. hose by using cam locks, he asked Employ ee #1 to hold it in place. One end of the hose was connected to the trailer and the other end was over the top manhole hatch of the 1,400 gallon flat-bottom sul furic acid tank, located inside a secondary containment tank. After he finished unloading the acid, the truck driver opened the air valve to blow some air throu gh the hose to clear it of any residual acid. The hose started vibrating and Emp loyee #1 let it go. Employee #1 turned away and tried to leave the area, when th e hose came off and sprayed him with acid. Employee #1 was admitted to Sherman O aks Burn Center for treatment of third degree burns on his back, arms, chest, le ft thigh, face, and elbows.

Incident on Feb 5, 2004: Employee's leg fractured after being struck by forklift

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on February 5, 2004, Employee #1 was working for Sun Pacific. He was walking into the cold storage room when he was struck by a forkl ift truck. The employee sustained a left leg fracture and was transported by amb ulance to San Joaquin Hospital. Employee #1 was hospitalized.

Incident on Mar 24, 1997: Employee's fingertip amputated in auger

At approximately 7:30 a.m. on March 24, 1997, Employee #1, who worked for a larg e farming company, was operating a tractor with a sulfur machine. He stopped the tractor to add a new bag of sulfur to the bin. These bags of sulfur were from l ast year, and the paper ripped into small pieces. A paper shred became caught in the auger. He was trying to remove it with his left index finger when the tip o f his finger was amputated. Employee #1 received medical treatment and returned to work the same day. The sulfur machines were all adequately guarded. The auger was guarded by a metal cylinder approx. 3 in. in diameter and sat back approxim ately 16 in. from the frame of the machine. The only openings were on the side o f the cylinder, which was about 1/2 in. to 3/4 in. Because of the size of the ho les and their location, it seems unlikely that anything more than skin loss ( i. e., no bone loss) would occur while the machine was operating. The employer had provided specific training on the sulfur machine, and documentation was obtained and confirmed by Employee #1. Proper procedures require an employee to disengag e the PTO on the tractor and, if necessary, to use an extension tool. Employee # 1 had worked for this company for six years and used a sulfur machine for about three months of the year. Safety programs and disciplinary policies were enforce d. No violations were issued regarding this accident.