Tolleson meat-processing plant fined after employee died last year

TOLLESON, AZ — A meat-processing plant in the West Valley has been fined for worker-safety violations after an employee died there last year.

Police found a worker unresponsive next to a forklift on November 20 at JBS Tolleson near 91st and Buckeye avenues.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner said Eduardo Reyes Hernandez, 55, died of blunt-force injuries. His death was ruled accidental. According to police reports, company officials said he worked at JBS for more than 20 years.

A report by the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) released Thursday said the worker stepped off his forklift to load a feed hopper when another driver on a tractor with a front-end loader reversed. Reyes was caught between the two vehicles.

JBS Tolleson was issued serious safety violations for failing to have a workplace free from hazards and fined $43,786. The company the tractor driver worked for, Trumbull Trucking, was also cited and fined $16,131.

No representatives from either company spoke at Thursday’s meeting when the citations and fines were handed down. However, companies that are cited and fined by the state can contest their citations if they disagree with them.

Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at [email protected], call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as  Twitter, and   Facebook.