(L.A.) Jose Ramirez, 52, Died in a Hospital

Case Number: 2023-00901

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 52-year-old Latin American male that occurred in a hospital.

The coroner’s office has identified the man as Jose Ramirez.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death A: Multiple Organ Failure

Cause of Death B: Extensive Thermal Burns

RIP JOSE BENITO RAMIREZ GONZALEZ (March 11, 1970 – January 22, 2023)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Sunday at 8:36 a.m.

This was a workplace fatality investigated by OSHA. The decedent was a non-union employee.

Here are the government investigator’s notes:

California Custom Fruits And Flavors, Inc.
15800 Tapia St.
Irwindale, CA 91706

NAICS: 311942
Spice and Extract Manufacturing

Employee is burned by hot water, later dies

At 12:23 a.m. on January 20, 2023, an employee was working as a sanitation worker on the night shift cleaning a food manufacturing facility. The employee was cleaning the production room floor and was operating a forklift when he drove under a cook deck that had low overhead clearance and hit the discharge pipe attached to the kettle. The collision caused over 400 gallons of approximately 170-degree-Fahrenheit water to be discharged from the kettle onto the employee in the forklift. The employee suffered extensive burn injuries, was hospitalized and subsequently died two days later.