Company receives probation and fine for workers suffocated in nitrogen leak
15 days ago
- #regulatory failure
- #corporate negligence
- #workplace safety
- California Ranch Foods, a subsidiary of Golden West Food Group, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts related to workplace deaths, paying over $6 million in a plea agreement.
- Two employees, Baldemar Gonsales and Maria Osyguss, died in a nitrogen leak incident in December 2020 due to gross negligence and lack of safety measures.
- The plea deal included a $1 million fine, $4 million donation to food banks, $50,000 to Cal/OSHA, and $1.6 million for safety upgrades, but is minor compared to the company's $452 million annual revenue.
- Cal/OSHA found multiple safety violations, including non-functional oxygen monitors, inadequate ventilation, and lack of worker training.
- A $35 million civil lawsuit was previously settled with the victims' families.
- Cal/OSHA's systemic failures were highlighted in a state audit, revealing staffing shortages and outdated procedures.
- The case reflects broader issues of corporate negligence and regulatory decay, with similar preventable deaths occurring nationwide.
- Workers are calling for independent rank-and-file safety committees to enforce safe conditions and hold management accountable.
- The fight for workplace safety is tied to opposing the capitalist profit system, which prioritizes profits over human lives.