The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which reviews workplace deaths, has been investigating the incident for months.
SAN ANTONIO — A federal investigation into the death of an H-E-B warehouse worker resulted in $17,878 in penalties leveed at the grocer headquartered in San Antonio.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued citations after two workplace violations were found related to the October 2025 death of 27-year-old Teresa Dominguez. Authorities said Dominguez died at the hospital after she was found unconscious in a freezer at the northeast-side warehouse located along Rittiman Road.
An SAPD incident report stated Dominguez had “sustained an injury from possibly a forklift” and categorized it as an “apparent sudden death case” while OSHA, which reviews workplace deaths in the U.S., began its probe.
H-E-B officials, meanwhile, disputed SAPD’s description of the incident, saying EMS was called when Dominguez showed “signs of distress” upon operating a forklift.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office later concluded Dominguez died of blunt trauma to her lower left extremity and ruled her manner of death an accident.
OSHA found that Dominguez had not been retrained on driving a forklift, which the agency requires once every three years. The investigation also pointed to unrepaired metal guarding in safety walkways at the time of the incident.
H-E-B is being investigated for another fatal workplace incident that occurred in mid-April. The agency typically takes six months before issuing citations and making findings public.
The company has not responded to KENS 5’s request for a statement on the penalties as of yet.