Cooked to death
 

Tuna company, 2 employees charged in death of worker in oven | abc7news.com

Monday, April 27, 2015 06:03PM
LOS ANGELES -- Bumble Bee Foods and two employees were charged Monday by Los Angeles prosecutors with violating safety regulations in the death of a worker who was cooked in an industrial oven with tons of tuna.

Jose Melena was performing maintenance in a 35-foot-long oven at the company's Santa Fe Springs plant in October 2012 when co-workers loaded it with 12,000 pounds of canned tuna and turned it on.

Temperatures reached 270 degrees during a two-hour process to cook and sterilize the tuna. The body of Melena, 62, was found when the oven was opened.

The company, its plant Operations Director Angel Rodriguez and former safety manager Saul Florez were each charged with three counts of violating Occupational Safety & Health Administration rules that caused a death.

The charges specify that the company and the two men willfully violated rules that require: implementing a safety plan; rules for workers entering confined spaces; and a procedure in place to keep machinery or equipment turned off if someone's working on it.

Rodriguez, 63, of Riverside and Florez, 42, of Whittier could face up to three years in prison and fines up to $250,000 if convicted of all charges. Bumble Bee Foods faces a maximum fine of $1.5 million.

"In addition to fines, as punishment the two men involved will be canned."

SHEEESH! What a horrible way to go!

Zing!

I'm struggling having to type this, but there's definitely something fishy about this story.

Wonder what happened to that 12,000# of tuna?

LOTO fail (lock out, tag out prevents unintended energy release).

I'm glad they netted the ones responsible but can't help but wonder if they'll get off the hook.

It was rebranded "Tuna Melena".

Evidently, Soylent Green isn't the only thing made out of people...

I've never worked in a job where I had to LOTO, but I've worked for companies that had workers that did and have seen a ton of safety videos for LOTO. That was the first thing that I thought. "How the hell did that happen with lock out, tag out?" I guess that question really answers itself. Really horrible.

I imagine Mr. Melena's family is going to sue to the tune 'uh $$$$$$$$.

That's one hell of an investigation if it took more than 2.5 years to bring charges. I understand the serious implications but that seems like a very long time.

Bumble Bee, Dolphin Safe Tuna.

And by Dolphin, we mean people. And by people, we mean it doesn't have dead guy in it. Much.

Bumble Bee Tuna: Contains at least 98% Tuna.

For the past couple of years I have bought nothing but Bumble Bee Tuna as I thought it was scrumptiously delicious. Basted to perfection during the cooking process as t were.

Holy Mackerel!