Food Manufacturing Risks Workers’ Lives
Hello, my name is Ed Smith, a Merced farming accident attorney, and I want to help the nearly 210,000 Californians employed in the food production industry. The food production industry is a subset of the agricultural industry that serves as the backbone of this state. These workers risk their lives and limbs every day to take the raw food material grown and raised throughout the state and turn it into the products purchased in markets.
What is Food Production?
Food production, also known as food manufacturing, is the process by which raw materials are processed, prepared, and packaged for sale in a supermarket. This includes many of the things in your pantry, including canned fruits, frozen vegetables, Rice-a-Roni, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and so many other products.
Many food production workers are injured, in the course of producing the many products so many of us depend on every day.
The Risk of Accidents in Food Production Facilities
The risk of accidents in food production facilities is high because of the industry’s dependence on machinery. Machines are used to do everything from cooking the food to packaging the food and loading it onto trucks. Workers move in and out between these machines, sometimes suffering serious injuries.
Common Food Production Injuries
According to the Food Service Workers’ Safety Guide, of the eight most common injuries in food production, four types of traumatic injuries are caused by accidents within the facilities.
Cuts and Burns
Cut, burns and extremity trauma due to the improper use of bladed tools are the most common accidents within facilities. These injuries are closely followed in frequency by burns from contact with steam, cooking materials, and even machinery parts.
Electrocution and Its Symptoms
Another common injury within facilities is electrocution. Many food production workers every year are electrocuted or receive electric shocks while at work due to malfunctioning equipment within the facilities. These accidents can have the most serious impact, because electrocution can greatly impact brain function, cardiac function, and the entire nervous system.
Slips and Falls within Facilities
Finally, slips and falls due to unsafe working conditions are another source of injury within food production facilities. Most commonly, these accidents are caused by slick and cluttered floors. Poor lighting within facilities then increases the floor hazards, leading many to sustain broken wrists, sprained and subluxed ankles, and even back and head injuries.
Fatalities in Food Production
In addition to risking serious injury, food manufacturing workers risk death. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 56 food production workers died in 2014. Many of these fatalities, like the injuries above, were preventable.
Farming Accident and Premises Liability Attorneys
I’m Edward Smith, a Merced farming accident lawyer. If you or your family member has been injured or tragically killed in an accident at a food production plant, please call me anytime at (209) 227-1931 or (800) 404-5400 for fast, free, and friendly advice. There is no cost to you for the initial consultation call.
I stand for your rights after you are injured and am a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
See a list of my client reviews on Yelp, Avvo, and Google.
Please take a moment to review a list of my Past Verdicts and Settlements.
:kw