San Quentin State Prison and 14 other employers were cited by Cal/OSHA for COVID-19 violations, with the prison getting hit with a $421,880 fine.
Another state prison, a grocery store, a farm, a gym, a clothing store and multiple healthcare and nursing facilities were among the other employers cited for violating state COVID-19 rules.
Fines for these 14 other employers ranged from $15,125 to $87,950.
Cal/OSHA opened the inspections after receiving complaints of COVID-19 fatalities and illnesses and during targeted inspections, according to a California Department of Industrial Relations news release.
Who was cited?
Employers cited are:
- San Quentin State Prison for $421,880
- Kaiser Permanente San Leandro (hospital) for $87,950
- Fremont Healthcare Center (nursing care) for $59,000
- BSF Fitness II LLC for $57,740
- Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center (hospital) for $56,000
- Sunray Healthcare Center for $53,805 (nursing care)
- Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center (hospital) for $45,000
- Avenal State Prison for $39,600
- San Miguel Villa (nursing care) for $32,000
- Cardenas Market for $30,670
- Grimmway Enterprises Inc. for $30,600
- Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (hospital) for $25,250
- NorthBay Medical Center (hospital) for $25,250
- Coldwater Care Center LLC doing business as Sherman Village Healthcare Center (nursing care) for $21,115, and
- Carter’s Children’s Wear for $15,125.
The prisons
San Quentin was cited for four willful-serious, five serious, one regulatory and four general category violations for failing to provide adequate training and equipment for working with COVID-19 infected individuals and failing to provide proper medical services to employees exposed to COVID-19 positive inmates.
The prison also failed to institute an effective aerosol transmissible diseases (ATD) control exposure plan.
Avenal State Prison was cited for three serious violations for failing to maintain an effective written ATD program and failure to enforce work practice controls to minimize exposure to COVID-19 among its employees.
The healthcare facilities
The hospitals were cited for serious and regulatory violations after inspectors found problems with their ATD and respiratory protection programs and failed to immediately report COVID-19 illnesses.
Cal/OSHA cited the nursing facilities for ATD deficiencies and for exposing employees to COVID-19.
Fremont Healthcare Center and San Miguel Villa were also cited for failing to immediately report hospitalizations of employees suffering from severe cases of COVID-19.
Others
BSF Fitness was cited for one willful-serious, two serious and six general category violations after a complaint-initiated inspection that the employer wasn’t enforcing mask use and physical distancing. Inspectors found the gym failed to establish, implement and maintain procedures to correct unhealthy conditions related to COVID-19 that affected its employees.
Cardenas Market was cited for three serious violations following an inspection opened after Cal/OSHA learned of an outbreak where 17 workers tested positive for COVID-19, including one COVID-related hospitalization. The grocery store failed to require masks, follow social distancing guidelines or train workers on COVID-19 hazards.
Grimmway Enterprises Inc. was cited for two serious violations after a fatality-initiated inspection involving an employee who was hospitalized and died from COVID-19 after working in a carrot field at the farm. Inspectors found the employer failed to implement procedures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and failed to train employees on the hazards of COVID-19.
Carter’s Children’s Wear was cited for one serious and one regulatory citation following a COVID-19 accident inspection. The clothing store failed to immediately report a serious COVID-19 illness and failed to establish and maintain an effective Injury Illness Prevention Program.
