What happened in this inspection
Cal/OSHA opened an accident inspection of RHC Equipment LLC. at 500 Mecham Road, Petaluma (Marin County) on Dec 15, 2017. It was a partial inspection focused on safety hazards. 2 employees were recorded at the site. Inspectors issued 3 citations (2 serious) and proposed $32,450 in penalties; the current total is $11,750. 2 citations were contested before the Appeals Board. The case closed on May 3, 2018. 1 worker died in the event that led to this inspection.
Citations
Each citation names the rule, its classification and the penalty as proposed and as it stands now.
Issued Feb 20, 2018. Proposed $50, current $50. 1 workers exposed. Read the rule.
Issued Feb 20, 2018. Proposed $16,200, current $10,800. 2 workers exposed. Contested Mar 12, 2018, final order Mar 27, 2018. Read the rule.
Issued Feb 20, 2018. Proposed $16,200, current $900. 2 workers exposed. Contested Mar 12, 2018, final order Mar 27, 2018. Read the rule.
The accident
Keywords: asphyxiated,dump truck,pinned,run over,trailer 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 342837127. 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 342837127, 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 A citation can be reduced, vacated or withdrawn on appeal, and an inspection can stay open for months, so a record can change.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.