California Department of Health Services
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SUMMARY : CASES
291-003-01, 291-003-02, 291-009- 01, 291-009-02, 291-009-03
Lightning
strikes killed two farm workers who were picking and hoeing
lettuce during a thunderstorm. They worked on crews about
fifteen miles apart. One crew was leaving the field because
of the lightning, when one of the last workers out was struck
by a lightning bolt. He died immediately of a heart attack.
The
second crew had taken shelter in a bus during the storm, but
when the rain stopped they returned to the field. A worker
was bent over hoeing lettuce when he was struck. The lightning
strikes continued, and paramedics had trouble reaching the
worker and getting him to the ambulance. The worker died in
the hospital from burns.
How
could these deaths have been prevented?
- The
foremen should have stopped work during a lightning storm
which spread over many miles. Both foremen attempted to
work during some part of the storm.
- One
person cannot judge dangerous weather conditions. Foremen
should use portable weather radios or the cable weather
channel.
- Both
workers had immediate heart attacks when struck by lightning.
Every field work crew should have one person certified in
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
document,
CDHS(COHP)-FI-92-005-04
,
was extracted from a series of the Nurses Using Rural Sentinal
Events (NURSE) project, conducted by the California Occupational
Health Program of the California Department of Health Services,
in conjunction with the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health. Publication date: May 1992.
The NURSE (Nurses Using Rural Sentinel Events) project is
conducted by the California Occupational Health Program
of the California Department of Health Services, in conjunction
with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health. The program's goal is to prevent occupational injuries
associated with agriculture. Injuries are reported by hospitals,
emergency medical services, clinics, medical examiners,
and coroners. Selected cases are followed up by conducting
interviews of injured workers, co-workers, employers, and
others involved in the incident. An on-site safety investigation
is also conducted. These investigations provide detailed
information on the worker, the work environment, and the
potential risk factors resulting in the injury. Each investigation
concludes with specific recommendations designed to prevent
injuries, for the use of employers, workers, and others
concerned about health and safety in agriculture.
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