A Brooklyn tortilla factory where a man was crushed when he fell into a dough mixer has been temporarily shuttered, state officials said Friday. Read more after the jump…
(HP)–Tortilleria Chinantla was not closed because of Juan Baten’s gruesome death, but his loss of life did lead investigators to the facility, officials said.
The state Workers Compensation Board issued a stop-work order at the Williamsburg facility after learning the factory’s owner, Erasmo Ponce, was not offering workers’ compensation insurance to his employees.
“The owner would need to get the insurance and pay fines before he is permitted to reopen,” said agency spokesman Brian Keegan.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the state Department of Labor are investigating the deadly accident.
Baten, 22, reached into the mixer early Monday and was sucked inside after his hand was snagged by one of its blades. The young father was killed instantly when a turbine broke his neck.
