Accident: 119947869 - Dies Of Allergic Reaction To Bee Stings

At approximately 4:45 p.m. on September 26, 2000, Employee #1, a backhoe operator employed by the Banning Heights Mutual Water Co., was uncovering an irrigation water supply line along a desolate portion of a roadway outside of Banning. He sustained multiple bee stings by a feral colony of Egyptian honey bees and suffered an allergic reaction. Employee #1 was transported to San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

allergic reaction, bee sting, equipment operator

Accident: 170073522 - Dies Of Allergic Reaction To Insect Sting

Employee #1, of Diamond Poultry Farms, Inc., was picking up some lumber with which to build some doors when he began to feel ill. He told a coworker that he had been stung in the shoulder by an insect while in the barn. As the coworker examined the shoulder, Employee #1 collapsed, and the coworker ran for help. Supervisors arrived, administered CPR, and called 911. The rescue squad attempted unsuccessfully to revive Employee #1, and he was transported to Wayne Memorial Hospital. In the emergency room, he was intubated, hyperventilated, and given an adrenaline IV, all without success. Autopsy results confirmed that Employee #1 had suffered an allergic reaction to an insect sting. Blood test results were positive for antibodies against hymenoptera toxins produced by various stinging insects. Interviews revealed that neither the employer nor Employee #1's coworkers knew that the he was allergic to insect stings, and he was not wearing a medical ID bracelet. No citations were issued relating to this fatality.

allergic reaction, agriculture, bee sting, cpr

Accident: 170074389 - Killed When Stung By Swarm Of Bees

At approximately 1:45 p.m. on May 18, 1998, Employee #1 was using a D-6 earth mover to clear a path at the corner of a farm lot when he inadvertently disturbed a bee hive that was hidden between some shrubs. The bees began stinging him and he tried to run away, but they swarmed after him in pursuit. Employee #1 fell to the ground approximately 100 meters away, where he died as a result of multiple bee stings.

bee sting, earthmoving equip, equipment operator, allergic reaction

Accident: 756288 - Dies Of Allergic Reaction To Guar Gum Powder

Employee #1 was bagging 5 lb sacks of guar gum powder when he died of an airway obstruction due to an unknown possible allergic reaction. He was not wearing respiratory protection but ventilation was in use. Guar gum powder is a polysaccharide thickener (carbohydrate) with a long polymer chain; NIOSH documentation includes a possible allergic reaction. No autopsy was performed. At the time of his death, Employee #1 had been working for the employer for approximately 4 months.

allergic reaction, powder, respirator, inhalation, dust, air contamination, respiratory, dust inhalation, work rules

Accident: 171065220 - Suffers Anaphylactic Shock From Seafood, Later Dies

Employee #1 was working in the seafood department, engaged in the weekly routine of cleaning out a small seafood case that contained shrimp. To do this, she had removed the rear sliding doors and opened the case front. The cleaning solution was believed to be a mixture of bleach, water, and soap of unknown ratios, and she was using a garden hose attached to a hot water line. When Employee #1 finished cleaning, she began to have difficulty breathing and an ambulance was called. Within 15 minutes, while she was being transported to Good Samaritan Hospital, Employee #1 suffered an anaphylactic reaction that resulted in an anoxic brain injury. She slipped into a coma and remained comatose in the hospital, where she died after 12 days. Employee #1 had her head inside the seafood case while she was cleaning. It is believed that she either inhaled, ingested, or absorbed a seafood antigen that triggered an asthmatic reaction and led to her death. Employee #1 had both a history of asthma and a history of breathing problems when she worked with crab or cleaned the seafood case. Blood tests indicated that she had a high sensitivity to both shrimp and king crab.

allergic reaction, inhalation, cleaning, respiratory, respiratory tract, shock