A 62-year-old man died tragically on Saturday, after his leg became caught in a waste grinder at a meat processing plant in Canton, Ohio.
Victim Became Caught in a Waste Auger
The horrific accident at the Fresh Mark plant, about 60 miles south of Cleveland, occurred shortly before 5:00 p.m. on December 16th.
According to the Stark County Coroner’s Office, Samuel Martinez stepped into a chute and became caught in a waste auger, a machine used to grind meat scraps.
The Guatemalan national was pronounced dead at the scene.
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 17A indicated that Martinez was only recently employed at the Canton facility and had children. Several of his relatives also worked at the Fresh Mark plant.
Efforts were underway on Saturday to notify his extended family in Guatemala of his death.
OSHA Investigating Fresh Mark Death
Based in Massillon, Ohio, Fresh Mark, Inc. was founded in 1920 and produces bacon, ham, hot dogs and deli meats for grocery stores, restaurants, and food service companies in the United States and internationally.
“Our primary concern rests with the wellbeing of this employee’s family, as well as with the safety and wellbeing of all our employees in the Canton and other Fresh Mark facilities,” the company said in a statement issued on Saturday. “We are working with authorities to determine the facts regarding this incident.”
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is now investigating Saturday’s tragedy to determine if any safety violations contributed to Martinez’s death.
Meat Packing is a Dangerous Industry
OSHA records indicate that Martinez’s death was the second fatal accident at the Canton Fresh Mark plant since it opened in 1976.
A 20-year-old worker was electrocuted at the facility in 2011 when he tried to plug in a fan while standing in water.
Unfortunately, serious injuries and deaths are far too common among meat packing workers, According to statistics compiled by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the industry as a whole reported the eighth highest number of serious incidents in 2015.
Some 481,000 people work at more 5,280 meat and poultry processing plants throughout the country. Yet the GAO found that OSHA conducted just 244 inspections last year.
Hazards faced by workers include amputation, lacerations from cutting machines, exhaustion, fatigue and food-borne illness. Unfortunately, many incidents go unreported because workers fear retaliation.
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