Chris Lischewski–President and CEO of Bumble Bee Foods–has responded to the tragic death of employee Jose Melena. The 62-year-old employee was found dead inside a cooking device called a “steamer machine,” shortly before 7a.m., last week Thursday.
On Friday, Lischewski issued an open letter stating:
“At this point, it’s still not clear how this could have happened. We are not aware of any such accident ever occurring before with this machinery,” he said. “Most important of all, we have been reaching out and providing support to the Melena family during this very difficult time. We miss Jose very much and our hearts go out to his wife, children, grandchildren and friends. This unprecedented tragedy has been devastating for all of us at Bumble Bee.”
California Division of Occupational Safety and Health spokeswoman Erika Monterroza told the Whittier Daily News, the initial investigation indicated that Melena was “fatally injured when he was cooked in an oven.” CAL-OSHA is still trying to determine how the man wound up in the oven and whether there were any workplace safety regulatory violations. The investigation isn’t expected to be completed for three to four months.
