6 California Businesses Cited for Coronavirus Violation
Cal/OSHA Fines Six Bay Area Employers for Failing to Protect Employees from Coronavirus
Berkeley, California – Six employers in the greater Bay Area have been cited by the Cal/OSHA for failing to adequately protect employees from coronavirus. The citations were issued after inspections of industries the agency believes the workers have an elevated risk of exposure to COVID-19.
The six are;
- Sutter Bay Medical Foundation in Berkeley
- Sutter Bay Medical Foundation in Berkeley
- Serve Max Farm Labor in Vacaville
- Uni-Kool Partners in Salinas
- M and J Williams Inc. in Santa Clara
- Ruiz Farm Labor in Dixon
The six businesses are among 11 others cited statewide in the health care, retail, agriculture, meatpacking and food processing industries. The employers were cited for various violations including some classified as serious. Fines for the citations range from about $2,000 to a penalty of more than $50,000 for a food processing company in Monterey Park.
Most of the citations are for failing to protect workers from exposure to COVID-19 because the business failed to take steps to update their workplace safety plans to properly address hazards related to the virus,” Cal/OSHA said. “These are industries where workers have been disproportionately affected, and these citations are the first of many to be issued in the coming weeks and months,” the agency’s chief said.
Five citations included violations of the state’s heat illness prevention rules, according to a chart detailing the violations.
In July, the agency conducted nearly 8,000 compliance checks to businesses across California to identify issues with protecting employees from the coronavirus. The inspections were started after notification of serious illnesses, complaints of workplace hazards and after proactive joint enforcement efforts, according to a statement. More than 400,000 businesses have also been engaged in outreach and education efforts that has included emails and conference calls with trade associations, employer groups, employers, labor and other stakeholders.
Employees can submit complaints about workplace safety to Cal/OSHA by calling (844) 522-6734.
