May 1, 2013

Meat worker death not the first accident at packaging company who has a history of safety violations #OHS

CLACKAMAS, Ore. - A company where a man fell into a large meat blender and died has a history of safety violations, including an accident where a worker lost a finger.

Over the weekend, a contract employee was killed while cleaning equipment at Interstate Meat Distributors, a meat packaging plant at 9550 S.E. Last Road in Clackamas.

According to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, 41-year-old Hugo Avalos Chanon of Portland fell into a large blender while it was running. Another worker hit an emergency switch to stop the blender, but Chanon was already dead by that point.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is looking into what happened. Melanie Mesaros, Oregon OSHA spokeswoman, said the investigation could take up to six months.

Meanwhile, we're learning more about Interstate Meat Distributors, which has had several safety violations in the past... please read about them at: http://www.katu.com/news/local/Industrial-worker-falls-into-meat-grinder-dies-205324221.html