On July 12, 2005, a 38-year-old female quality control operator of Michigan fruit company fell into a brine tank being filled with cherries and drowned. She was the primary tank room supervisor responsible for supervising the loading station employees, monitoring the incoming levels of cherries into the brine tank, recirculation of excess brine from the tank back to the loading station, and moving cherry/brine supply and brine recirculation hoses when the tank was full. Each cherry holding tank has two access ports each covered with a wood cover. One port contained a 4-inch cherry/brine supply hose and a 2-inch brine recirculation hose. The other port contained another 2-inch recirculation hose. Her fall into the cherry holding tank was unwitnessed. It appears she rotated the cover on the port with the one 2-inch recirculation hose, and using an overhead portable utility light, was kneeling on the deck when she fell into the tank. Employees found her floating in the tank, and after one unsuccessful rescue attempt due to the brine fumes, were able to pull her out of the tank. They took her to fresh air, initiated CPR and called 911. Emergency response arrived and took her by ambulance to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Michigan: Quality Control Operator Dies After Falling Into Cherry Processing Brine Tank
2006
21 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch