Worker cooked alive inside oven; Bumble Bee Tuna denies responsibility

Bumble Bee Foods pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from the 2012 death of a worker who was trapped inside an industrial oven in Santa Fe Springs.

San Diego-based Bumble Bee Foods LLC, is charged with three felony counts each of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration violation causing death. Also charged with the same counts are the company’s former safety manager Saul Florez, 42, of Whittier, and its director of plant operations, Angel Rodriguez, 63, of Riverside, who also pleaded not guilty.

Jose Melena, 62, entered a 35-foot-long cylindrical oven used to sterilize cans of tuna on Oct. 11, 2012, according to Los Angeles County prosecutors.

Unaware that Melena was inside, co-workers loaded carts containing roughly 12,000 pounds of tuna, shut the front door and started the oven, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The oven’s internal temperature rose to about 270 degrees during the two- hour sterilization process, and Melena’s severely burned remains were discovered by a co-worker, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Bumble Bee issued a statement saying that a Cal-OSHA investigation of the death found no willful violations and that safety was a “top priority” for the company.

“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,” according to the company. “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 a manner that best serves the needs of the Melena family, our employees and the company.”

If convicted, Florez and Rodriguez each face a maximum sentence of three years in state prison and a $250,000 fine. The seafood processing company faces a maximum $1.5 million fine if convicted.

— City News Service