What happened in this inspection
Cal/OSHA opened an accident inspection of Merced County Dept of Public Works Solid Waste Div at 6040 N. HWY 59, Merced (Merced County) on Nov 1, 2004. It was a partial inspection focused on safety hazards. 2,500 employees were recorded at the site, with union representation. The employer is a local government body. Inspectors issued 1 citation (0 serious) and proposed $5,060 in penalties; the current total is $560. 1 citation was contested before the Appeals Board. 1 citation was deleted on appeal and is not counted. The case closed on May 10, 2007. 1 worker died in the event that led to this inspection. The employer has 2 other inspections on its California record.
Citations
Each citation names the rule, its classification and the penalty as proposed and as it stands now.
Issued Mar 23, 2005. Proposed $5,060, current $560. 1 workers exposed. Contested Apr 8, 2005, final order Jan 31, 2007. Abatement due Apr 25, 2005, completed. Read the rule.
Issued Mar 23, 2005. Proposed $5,000, current $0. 1 workers exposed. Contested Apr 8, 2005, final order Jan 31, 2007. Abatement due Apr 25, 2005, completed. Read the rule.
The accident
Keywords: back-up alarm,garbage truck,asphyxiated,obstructed view,work rules,run over,communication,backing up 1 death
Your rights
If you worked at this site, the inspection file is a public record once the case closes; request it from the Cal/OSHA district office with activity number 125746560. A worker who reported the hazard, the injury or the inspection and was then fired, demoted or cut has a retaliation claim under Labor Code 6310, one year to file with the Labor Commissioner and longer to sue. Injuries themselves go through workers' compensation. Free, confidential review: (800) 371-3088.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement data, inspection 125746560, checked Nov 1, 2026. How to read a record. Back to the safety tracker.
About this data: Records come from the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA enforcement datasets (inspection, violation, accident and accident injury tables), which carry Cal/OSHA's state-plan inspections alongside federal ones. We load every inspection of a California worksite opened since January 1, 2000 and refresh it weekly. Employer names, addresses and industry codes are as the inspecting office recorded them; similar names are grouped where they clearly refer to the same employer. A citation can be reduced, vacated or withdrawn on appeal, and an inspection can stay open for months, so a record can change. Penalties shown as "current" reflect the latest status in the federal file. This page is public information about the employer's regulatory record, not legal advice and not a statement that any person was harmed or any law broken beyond what the record states.