Accidents happen in food manufacturing facilities, and while some are forgiving, others result in tragedy.
On July 13, a 19-year-old man died while cleaning an industrial food processor at Tina’s Burritos factory in Vernon, Calif., according to reports from ABC 7. Vernon Police told ABC 7 the tragic incident occurred when the processor unexpectedly activated while the man cleaned. It is unclear what caused the machine to turn on or what precautions the facility had in place to prevent such accidents, but manufacturers can learn from the incident and gain insight that may prevent future tragedies.
Curtis Chambers, a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) who possesses a Master of Science in Occupational Health & Safety and serves as President of OSHA Training Services, says incidents like the burrito factory one happen more often than they should.
“As a board-certified safety professional with 35-plus years of experience in occupational safety and health experience, I have seen similar accidents occur way too frequently. And it usually comes down to two things: either the employer did not implement adequate lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures to be followed during equipment maintenance and servicing (including cleaning), or the procedures were in place, but one or more employees were not adequately trained,” Chambers shares with ProFood World.
