Inspection record, Imperial

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation -- Centinela State Prison Cal/OSHA Inspection, Aug 18, 2020

Benjamin Eghbali, Esq.Legal notes by Benjamin Eghbali, Esq.,

Fatality or catastrophe inspection in Imperial: 6 citations, $20,750, 2 deaths investigated. The employer's only inspection on record.

Every Cal/OSHA and federal OSHA inspection of a California workplace opened since 2000: 238,466 inspections of 122,854 employers, 447,188 citations, $586,238,760 in penalties, 5,717 deaths investigated.

What happened in this inspection

Cal/OSHA opened an accident inspection of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation -- Centinela State Prison at 2302 Brown Road, Imperial (Imperial County) on Aug 18, 2020. It was a partial inspection focused on health hazards. 5,000 employees were recorded at the site, with union representation. The employer is a state government body. Inspectors issued 6 citations (1 serious) and proposed $38,125 in penalties; the current total is $20,750. 6 citations were contested before the Appeals Board. The case closed on Nov 21, 2023. 2 workers 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.

Citation 01001: 8 CCR 342(A), Reporting serious injuries and deaths General
Issued Mar 29, 2021. Proposed $5,000, current $3,750. 3 instances. 3 workers exposed. Contested Apr 16, 2021, final order Oct 4, 2023. Read the rule.
Citation 01002: 8 CCR 5199(J)(3)(B), Aerosol transmissible diseases General
Issued Mar 29, 2021. Proposed $500, current $500. 1,200 workers exposed. Contested Apr 16, 2021, final order Oct 4, 2023. Abatement due May 3, 2021, completed. Read the rule.
Citation 01003: 8 CCR 5199(D)(3), Aerosol transmissible diseases General
Issued Mar 29, 2021. Proposed $750, current $750. 1,200 workers exposed. Contested Apr 16, 2021, final order Oct 4, 2023. Abatement due May 3, 2021, completed. Read the rule.
Citation 01004: 8 CCR 5199(E)(5)(D), Aerosol transmissible diseases General
Issued Mar 29, 2021. Proposed $1,500, current $1,500. 2 instances. 12 workers exposed. Contested Apr 16, 2021, final order Oct 4, 2023. Abatement due May 3, 2021, completed. Read the rule.
Citation 02001: 8 CCR 5199(D), Aerosol transmissible diseases General
Issued Mar 29, 2021. Proposed $13,500, current $750. 1,200 workers exposed. Contested Apr 16, 2021, final order Oct 4, 2023. Abatement due Apr 13, 2021, completed. Read the rule.
Citation 03001: 8 CCR 5199(E)(1), Aerosol transmissible diseases Serious
Issued Mar 29, 2021. Proposed $16,875, current $13,500. 20 instances. 20 workers exposed. Contested Apr 16, 2021, final order Oct 4, 2023. Abatement due Apr 13, 2021, completed. Read the rule.

The accident

Jul 24, 2020. Three employees with COVID-19 infections die
Keywords: infectious disease 2 deaths 3 hospitalized

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 344886049. 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 344886049, 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.

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