On August 19, 2019, at approximately 3:00 p.m., a 67-year-old male water truck operator, working as a seasonal employee, sustained severe head injuries when a pressurized water hose burst and he was knocked to the ground. He died two days later from his injury.
The victim’s employer was a cooperative of almond growers that provided hulling and shelling services to grower members. The cooperative had 550 almond grower members and had been in business since 1966. The cooperative had 95 employees; 18 were full-time, and the remainder were seasonal workers.
The cooperative had a written injury and illness prevention program (IIPP) with all the essential elements required by law. Safety meetings were held monthly and documented. The safety supervisor provided all safety and other training for staff. The victim had received training on the proper procedures for transferring water and had done this task many times in the past. The seasonal workers began working during the first week of August and had already attended the cooperative’s mandated safety meeting.
The victim was a 67-year-old water truck operator for the cooperative. He had worked 40 hours per week on a seasonal basis for the past six years.
The victim was performing dust control by spraying water on the almond fields that surrounded the facility using the cooperative’s water truck. When the water in the truck was empty, he would normally refill it at the designated hydrant. However, because the groundwater supply was low, the normal hydrant used was not available. Arrangements were made with a neighboring business to use their water system, which included a 500,000-gallon water storage tank that supplied water at a higher pressure. The normal procedure was to connect the hose (provided with the water truck) to the water tank hydrant outlet ball valve, then to the inlet ball valve on the truck. Once the hose was secured in place, the ball valve on the truck was to be
opened first, followed by the ball valve on the hydrant. Water would then flow from the tank to the truck under a pressure that varied from 125 -140 psig.
On the day of the incident, the victim was filling the water truck from the hydrant of the neighbor’s water tank. The victim used a thermoplastic rubber bulk water discharge hose with polyethylene helix reinforcement that was provided with the water truck. This hose was only designed to withstand a maximum working pressure of 50 psi, which was in the range of the normal groundwater supply. He connected the hose to the truck and hydrant, then opened the hydrant’s outlet ball valve. Unlike the normal procedure, the victim did not open the inlet ball valve on the truck. As he was attempting to fill the truck, the hose burst and struck the victim, causing him to fall to the ground and strike his head. The safety supervisor was walking by the water truck and noticed the victim on the ground. The supervisor shut the hydrant off and notified another manager, who then called 911. The supervisor performed CPR on the victim until the paramedics arrived and transported him to a local hospital. He died from his injuries two days later.
According to the medical records, the cause of death was skull fracture with intracranial bleed.
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