The 2012 death of a maintenance worker for Bumble Bee Foods has led to charges for the company and two employees after he was cooked inside an industrial oven while tuna was being prepared.
According to the Associated Press, Jose Melena had been working inside the oven, which was 35 feet long, in Santa Fe Springs when other co-workers unknowingly loaded 12,000 pounds of tuna inside the oven, not realizing he was in there.
The process of cooking the tuna took two hours and the temperature went up to 270 degrees. His body was discovered when they opened the oven up.
In addition with the company, Operations Director Angel Rodriguez and the former safety manager, Saul Florez, were given three charges for violating the safety rules that led to the death of an individual.
The rules that the men and the company violated involved not putting together a safety plan, having no procedures that would make sure machines were not on while someone was inside the machine working, and putting together rules for employees who went into confined spaces.
However, the company responded to the ruling, saying that after the tragic events, they improved safety standards.
In a statement to LA Weekly, the company said, “We remain devastated by the loss of our colleague Jose Melena in the tragic accident.” They also expressed their disappointment with the ruling, saying they were “exploring all options” in proceeding with responding to the charges.
The two men could face a prison sentence of three years and $250,000 in fines while the company could face a fine of $1.5 million.