Rice Farming

NarrativeOn May 11, 2012, Employee #1 was working for Rice Researchers, Inc., a firm that operated a rice farm in Glenn, California. He was at an airstrip, helping unload rice onto a conveyor for delivery onto an airplane. Employee #1 was standing atop a rice bin that measured 48 inches long by 48 inches wide by 48 inches high (1.22 meters long by 1.22 meters wide by 1.22 meters high). It was filled with rice. The bin was being elevated by a forklift that belonged to the airstrip's owner. The sheriff's report and a statement from a coworker who was a witness indicated that the bin was elevated approximately 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 meters) into the air. The bin was not secured either to the lift's forks or its mast. Employee #1 finished emptying the rice from the bin when, as he was still standing in the bin, it fell from the forks. Employee #1 does not remember whether he struck his head on the ground or his head was struck by the bin. The owner of the airstrip arrived at the accident site moments after the incident occurred, as did the local sheriff and fire departments. Employee #1 was transported to an area hospital, where he was admitted for 7 days with the following injuries: a nonoperative right scapular fracture; right scapholunate (wrist ligament) disruption with intra-articular fracture; bilateral Le Fort type I fractures; nasal fracture with deformity; and compromised airway. When the narrative was written, the employee had yet to return to his normal and customary occupation.