Three years after a Bumble Bee worker was killed on the job, the company is being held responsible for his death. According to People Magazine , Jose Melena was making a repair in one of the ovens inside the Santa Fe Springs, California location when he was killed. Two Bumble Bee Tuna employees did not realize that Melena was inside the oven when they loaded it up with tuna fish, and turned it on. Hours later, Melena’s body was found inside.
“On Monday, Bumble Bee Foods, former safety manager Saul Florez, 42, and 63-year-old Angel Rodriguez, the director of plant operations, were each charged with three felony counts of committing an occupational safety and health violation that caused a death.”
The Bumble Bee worker was essentially cooked to death, his body found charred. As previously reported by the Inquisitr , Bumble Bee Tuna company has believed that this was a terrible accident from the beginning. They cooperated to their fullest ability in the investigation that followed and were shocked to learn that charges had been filed against them by the Los Angeles DA.
The company released a statement following the news.
“We remain devastated by the loss of our colleague Jose Melena in the tragic accident that occurred at our Santa Fe Springs plant in October 2012. Bumble Bee cooperated fully with Cal-OSHA in its post-accident investigation, which found no willful violations related to the accident. We disagree with and are disappointed by the charges filed by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. We are currently exploring all options with respect to those charges and will proceed in the manner that best serves the needs of the Melena family, our employees and the Company.”
The Bumble Bee workers charged in the case each face up to three years in prison or fines up to $250,000 each if they are convicted. According to CNN Money , Bumble Bee Tuna faces a maximum fine of $1.5 million . It is unknown if Melena’s family plans to file a civil lawsuit pending the outcome of this case, or if they have done so already.
The DA released a statement in regard to the case as well.
“We take worker safety very seriously. For the past year, prosecutors and investigators from my office have begun rolling out to major industrial incidents involving serious worker injuries and death. Our goal is to enhance the criminal prosecution of workplace safety violations.”
[Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images]
