FRESNO, Calif. — A Kerman man was found dead Sunday after apparently getting caught in a mulching machine sometime the previous day while working at an orchard, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.
He was identified Sunday as 23-year-old Jesus Barboza Banuelos.
The man was discovered Sunday morning in the area of Clarkson and Highland avenues, Sheriff's Lt. Jose Salinas said.
It appeared that the victim was working alone in the orchard on Saturday when he was caught in the machine.
No other information was immediately available.
The Agricultural Safety page on the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that "agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries."
In 2017, according to the latest figures noted by the CDC, there were 416 farmers and farm workers who died from a work-related injury. Transportation incidents, which include tractor overturns, were the leading cause of death.
In California, agriculture, with a rate of 11 fatalities per 100,000 workers (or five times the statewide average), had the highest fatality rate over a five-year period studied for a December 2018 report titled "Fatal Occupational Injuries in California, 2013 — 2017" by the state Department of Industrial Relations and Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
