Posted August 15, 2015 (NEWSER) – Bumble Bee Foods will fork out $6 million for the horrific death of an employee cooked alive in 12,000 pounds of tuna fish, NBC News reports. Announced Wednesday by prosecutors, the plea agreement is California's biggest ever for a workplace safety violation. It consists of $3 million to buy new automated ovens, $1.5 million to the state government and courts, and $1.5 million to the family of Jose Melena, 62, who died at Bumble Bee's Santa Fe Springs plant in 2012. He was working in a 36-foot-by-54-inch oven — likely fixing or altering a chain inside, the Whittier Daily News reports — when a co-worker assumed Melena was in the bathroom, dumped in tuna, and turned on the oven. An autopsy concluded Melena died from burns in the 270-degree pressure cooker.USA TODAYBumble Bee Foods charged after man cooked with tuna "This is the worst circumstances of death I have ever, ever witnessed," Deputy District Attorney Hoon Chun tells the AP. "I think any person would prefer to be — if they had to die some way — would prefer to be shot or stabbed than to be slowly cooked in an oven." Former Bumble Bee safety manager Saul Florez pleaded guilty to breaking lockout rules and was hit with three years' probation and $19,000 in penalties and fines. The sentence for Bumble Bee's director of plant operations, Angel Rodriguez, includes fines and community service. Meanwhile, Chun says Melena's family has a civil attorney and could still sue Bumble Bee, CBS Los Angeles reports. "Certainly, nothing will bring back our dad, and our mom will not have her husband back, but much can be done to ensure this terrible accident does not happen again," says the family in a statement. Read more on the accident here. Artical : http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/13/bumble-bee-forced-pay-6m-worker-cooked-alive/31620881/ i personally won't be eating this brand of tuna again for a long time...What a crappy way to die! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 15, 2015 "I think any person would prefer to be — if they had to die some way — would prefer to be shot or stabbed than to be slowly cooked in an oven." what the , lol, thats so weird for a DA to say. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 15, 2015 I can't help but wonder what the actual payout to Mr. Malena's family will be after it is adjusted based on liability law. Most US states have caps, protecting companies from having to pay out large lawsuits to individuals over incompetence. I'd be guessing his family won't see any more than 400k, a pittance compared to having your father around. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 15, 2015 I love how businesses always get the brunt of their employee's incompetencies. I hope the 'co-worker' got death by negligence charges. I used to work for a restaurant chain where, back in the mid 2000s, one of the chefs had a slight accident. To reach the cooker hood for cleaning you had to get a step-ladder and have a colleague steady it for you while you scrubbed away some 7ft in the air, while bent over the range. The chef, unbeknownst to the managers who were in the back cashing up, decided it was easier to just stand on the range itself to reach the hood, not needing to waste his colleague's time. Apparently he did this all of the time. However this one time he didn't realise that below him one of the other chefs had removed the toughened steel lid from the deep fryer so that he could clean the splashed fat from it. The chef cleaning the hood moved a foot to his left without looking. And that left foot ended up being amputated due to the skin damage caused by the still-hot oil. The chain was fined massive amounts, he was given compensation by the firm for 'their incompetencies', the managers were fired and the store closed for a few months while they hired new staff. The guy had worked there for 3 years and had a very good training schedule. There was nothing that the managers could have done to prevent this, yet he received all of the sympathy. Meh, rant over. I just think that people should take responsibility for their actions, and this poor guy was cooked because of the pure negligence of another single person, not corporation. He should have checked inside the oven, simple. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 15, 2015 Grew up in and around the timber industry. Lockout rules exist for a damn reason. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 15, 2015 Grew up in and around the timber industry.Lockout rules exist for a damn reason. ^^ no doubt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 15, 2015 Too bad it wasn't a Starkist tuna plant. Then when Malena reached the pearly gates he could have used the reference: "Tell em Charlie sent ya!" =Ayes= Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 16, 2015 Speaking of "Just Damn..." moments, Morgan Freeman's granddaughter was found stabbed to death in Manhattan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 16, 2015 Speaking of "Just Damn..." moments, Morgan Freeman's granddaughter was found stabbed to death in Manhattan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
