To better investigate workplace safety issues, the state Occupational Health and Safety Agency last summer hired nine inspectors for its criminal investigation unit.
One of those investigators will be assigned to the Cal/OSHA office in Fresno. That inspector can immediately start investigating Pitman Family Farms in Sanger.
The family-owned business has had two employees die on the job since May 2023, and as Bee staff writer Melissa Montalvo recently reported, there have been at least four employee deaths in the past eight years affecting the company's farms, grain mills, processing plants in Central California were involved. facility and poultry transport fleet.
In May 2023, 66-year-old Jesus Salazar Castillo was found dead in a 16-foot-deep pit filled with chicken feces, feathers, remains, grease and water. The official cause of death was drowning. But a state investigation found that the Mexican immigrant likely inhaled hydrogen sulfide gas that had formed in the well. The gas is highly toxic and, at sufficiently high concentrations, can be fatal within minutes of inhalation. He may have lost consciousness and fallen into the pit, which was missing carpet and broken railings. Salazar undoubtedly experienced a horrific final moment of his life.
Opinion
Last February, 19-year-old Jose Abrego was crushed by a semi-truck at the plant while he was clearing debris from the vehicle's bed. He was in a dimly lit area and the truck driver did not see Abrego and ran over him.
In both cases, the deaths could have been prevented if Pitman had ensured proper staff training and safe facilities, reports show.
An employee dying every two years for an eight-year period is unacceptable. It's especially ironic for a company that produces high-quality, free-range poultry products sold as Mary's Chicken by health food stores like Whole Foods.
The grief of the family
Salazar had worked at Pitman for almost two years. He was assigned to the turkey line, but an investigative report revealed that he often worked extra weekend shifts at the waste pit.
Originally from Michoacán, Mexico, Salazar leaves behind many survivors, including several grandchildren.
The family believed that Pitman appreciated Salazar as a hard-working employee. But the report investigating his death changed their view.
“After reviewing the new report, we are filled with sadness as it appears his death was not solely an accident, but rather the result of neglect. We sincerely believe that this tragedy could have been prevented,” Salazar's daughter-in-law, Lina Castillo, told Montalvo.
There are fines for 'serious' violations
Pitman has contested a $56,250 fine imposed by Cal/OSHA for serious violations in connection with Salazar's death. The company also faces a $75,000 fine for citations issued in response to Abrego's death, a Cal/OSHA spokesperson said in an email to The Bee's editorial board.
Montalvo has repeatedly attempted to interview Pitman officials and owners about worker safety issues. They rejected her requests.
The editors sent an email to three Pitman officials with specific questions about Salazar's death. These were among the questions:
▪ Why were the guardrails and protective grilles at the waste pit in such disrepair?
▪ Did the company provide Mr. Salazar Castillo with sufficient training to properly handle the hazards at the waste pit? If not, why not?
▪ Given the high concentration of hazardous hydrogen sulfide in the waste pit, what have you done since the death of Mr. Salazar Castillo to ensure that workers are not overexposed to the toxic gas?
▪ Why are you contesting the $56,000 fine imposed by the government?
None of the Pitman officials responded to the editor's query.
The Fresno Bee Editorial Board must conclude that the state should get its investigators involved in the case as soon as possible – hopefully before someone else dies.
