State workplace safety agency fines multiple California state prisons for COVID violations
By Lisa Fernandez
FILE ART (Photo by Giles Clarke/Getty Images)
BLYTHE, Calif. - The state agency that oversees workplace safety has fined a total of eight prisons in California for COVID violations, resulting in a maximum citation total of nearly $700,000, a review of Cal-OSHA records show.
The most recent prisons cited are Chuckawalla Valley State Prison for $39,100; Ironwood State Prison for $57,800, both of which are in Blythe, Calif.; and the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, Calif. for $100,750. All the institutions are in Riverside County.
OSHA issued the fines on Feb. 26, for alleged violations that occurred roughly six months prior. The first two investigations were accident-initiated. The final citation was issued after a death occurred at the Norco prison.