Janio Salinas Valerda was suffocated in February 2013 when several tons of processed sugar engulfed him inside a hopper at CSC Sugar on Roebling Road at the old U.S. Steel site in Falls Township. A investigative report has revealed the temporary worker’s death was preventable.
An investigative story by ProPublica and Univision revealed a safety device that would have likely prevented Salinas’ death had been removed about two weeks before the accident. The report states the reason: a manager believed it was slowing down production at the sugar facility.
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From the ProPublica story:
The warehouse manager told OSHA that he had complained repeatedly to upper management about the dangers of becoming engulfed while unclogging the sugar hopper. He said he had asked the plant manager for a safety device to prevent clogging, but the plant manager said “we can’t do that” because of financial constraints.
Eventually, the company decided to install a screen over the hopper to prevent clogging. But 13 days before the accident, according to OSHA, the plant manager ordered it removed because it was slowing down production.
Investigators told LevittownNow.com in 2013 that Valerda tried to free himself before being buried in a “bin as big as a room.”
The Bucks County Coroner said a subcontractor opened an access panel and saw Valerda’s jeans inside the piece of equipment. Emergency crews were dispatched and workers began the 45 minute process to empty the tank, officials said.
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Fire Marshal Rich Dippolito said at the time that rescue crews were forced to cut entry into the hopper to retrieve the body.
