What happened in this inspection
Cal/OSHA opened an accident inspection of California Ranch Food Company, Inc. at 4401 S Downey Road, Vernon (Los Angeles County) on Dec 1, 2020. It was a partial inspection focused on safety hazards. 74 employees were recorded at the site. Inspectors issued 6 citations (4 serious) and proposed $82,725 in penalties; the current total is $64,700. 6 citations were contested before the Appeals Board. The case is still open. 2 workers 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 Sep 24, 2021. Proposed $750, current $750. 16 workers exposed. Contested Nov 29, 2021, final order Apr 21, 2026. Abatement due Oct 13, 2021. Read the rule.
Issued Sep 24, 2021. Proposed $975, current $0. 1 workers exposed. Contested Nov 29, 2021, final order Apr 21, 2026. Abatement due Oct 29, 2021. Read the rule.
Issued Sep 24, 2021. Proposed $20,250, current $15,000. 16 workers exposed. Contested Nov 29, 2021, final order Apr 21, 2026. Read the rule.
Issued Sep 24, 2021. Proposed $20,250, current $20,250. 16 workers exposed. Contested Nov 29, 2021, final order Apr 21, 2026. Read the rule.
Issued Sep 24, 2021. Proposed $20,250, current $12,500. 1 workers exposed. Contested Nov 29, 2021, final order Apr 21, 2026. Read the rule.
Issued Sep 24, 2021. Proposed $20,250, current $16,200. 2 workers exposed. Contested Nov 29, 2021, final order Apr 21, 2026. Read the rule.
The accident
Keywords: alarm,asphyxiated,lack of oxygen,nitrogen,oxygen deficiency,ppe,unconsciousness 2 deaths
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 345045892. 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 345045892, 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.