A Vernon food processing plant will pay more than $6 million to resolve criminal charges stemming from the deaths of two workers during a 2020 nitrogen gas leak, authorities said Tuesday.
According to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, California Ranch Foods — a subsidiary of Gold West Food Group — pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanor charges stemming from the December 2020 deaths of Baldemar Lopez, 56, of Los Angeles, and Maria Osyguss, 49, of Hemet.
State regulators said the pair died when a malfunction in the company’s nitrogen system led to a hazardous gas release on Dec. 1, 2020. A subsequent investigation “found critical failures in safety procedures and training related to the handling of pressurized gas systems,” according to Cal/OSHA.
The company has already reached a $35 million civil settlement with the workers’ families.
As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, the company will spent three years on probation and pay $1.6 million for safety improvements at the facility on the 4400 block of South Downey Avenue, along with a $1 million fine and a $4 million donation to local food banks. It will also pay $50,000 to Cal/OSHA’s Bureau of Investigations.
“When employers fail to protect their workers and it results in a preventable death, California will hold them accountable,” Cal/OSHA Chief Debra Lee said in a statement. “We will continue to use every tool available, including criminal referrals to ensure justice is served, and that safety is never optional.”
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