California’s Overhill Farms Hit with $200,000 for COVID-19 Safety Violations
The Frozen Food Facility Failed to Protect Workers From Risks of Coronavirus Infections
Vernon, California – A California-based frozen food manufacturer has been slapped with a potential penalty of more than $200,000 for allegedly exposing hundreds of employees to COVID-19.
Overhill Farms Inc. is the latest company to join a list of businesses cited by California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health for violating public health protocols aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus.
At the company’s two plants in Vernon, Cal/OSHA found that the company failed to investigate more than 20 cases of COVID-19. One worker is reported to have succumbed to the virus, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday. “The employers did not adequately communicate the COVID-19 hazards to their workforce, and Overhill did not report a COVID-19 fatality to Cal/OSHA,” the statement read.
The company and its temporary staffing agency, Jobsource North America Inc., are alleged to have failed to install barriers to implement social distancing among employees at the facilities.
The agency began inspections regarding Overhill Farms and Jobsource in April after receiving numerous complaints. Cal/OSHA determined that 330 Overhill Farms workers and 60 Jobsource workers were exposed to the virus.
Overhill Farms was hit with a $222,075 in proposed fines while Jobsource might have to pay a $214,080 penalty. In the statement, Cal/OSHA said that it “is critical that employers evaluate the workplace and take proactive measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace.”
The agency further explained that if a COVID-19 illness occurs, employers must investigate the case to determine if additional protective measures should be taken and report the serious illnesses and deaths to the agency. Employers should also notify workers of possible exposure and report outbreaks to county public health officials.
The federal and state regulators have been cracking down on employers and businesses exposing workers and the public to risks of infection.
