Cal/OSHA has launched an investigation following the untimely death of a worker at a renowned Healdsburg winery.
Salvador Plaza-Centeno of Windsor died on the job Tuesday at Dry Creek Vineyard at 3770 Lambert Bridge Rd., the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office confirmed to KCBS Radio. The incident reportedly happened at about 2 p.m.
The cause of Plaza-Centeno's death remains unclear, nor was it immediately known what he was doing at the time.
A spokesperson for the California Department of Industrial Relations told The Press Democrat that "Plaza-Centeno was reportedly found in a fermentation tank at the winery," a detail denied by Sara Rathbun, Dry Creek Vineyard's director of marketing and communications.
"Salvador was hunched over a tank performing a routine procedure when co-workers noticed he was having a medical emergency," Rathbun told KCBS Radio. "Based on our understanding, we strongly believe this was not work related. It is important to know that Dry Creek Vineyard values the safety of all of its staff and has significant safety protocols in place for all of its operations."
When reached for comment late Wednesday, officials with the state's Department of Industrial Relations clarified that Plaza-Centeno "was found near a fermentation tank and was pronounced dead at the scene."
In response to inquiries about the inconsistent statements regarding Plaza-Centeno’s death, state officials replied: "Cal/OSHA receives limited information from an initial report. Now they are looking into exactly how the incident occurred."
The winery – started in Dry Creek Valley nearly five decades ago and known worldwide – remembered Plaza-Centeno, 61, as "a wonderful person, a hard worker, and a personal friend to many of us."
Investigations of this type – to determine if the victim's death resulted from an employment injury, illness or exposure to a workplace hazard or condition – are mandatory following workplace deaths, per state and federal guidelines.
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