Triple E Produce, Ltd: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Mar 1, 2002 (fatal): Employee killed in fall from elevation

Employee #1 and two other employees were cleaning coil units located inside cool ers during the off tomato season. The employees were using a cleaning material a nd water to spray on the coil unit by means of a hand held 2-gallon pressurized sprayer. Employee #1 was operating a forklift. He raised another employee approx imately 13.5 feet to where the coil unit was located in the back of the cooler. Employee #1 placed six stacked pallets on the blades of the forklift in order to reach the area to be cleaned. The other employee was standing on the stacked pa llets. While he was still on the pallet, Employee #1 exited the forklift and cli mbed up the framing of the nearby racks and gained access to the platform with t he other employee. The other employee then climbed down as far as the overhead g uard of the forklift, to have the third employee, who had been on the floor swee ping water, hand him another sprayer of cleaning chemical and water. The coworke r handed Employee #1 the sprayer and then climbed down from the forklift and pro ceeded to help the third employee sweep water while Employee #1 stayed up on the pallet. Employee #1 fell from the elevated location, striking his head on the c oncrete. Employee #1 died as a result of his injuries six hours later at the hos pital.