Nitrogen leak at Vernon food facility results in fatalities, company admits culpability
California Ranch Foods, a subsidiary of Golden West Food Group, has admitted guilt to two misdemeanour counts of workplace safety violations, following a hazardous nitrogen gas leak incident at their facility in Vernon, California, in December 2020. The incident resulted in the tragic deaths of two workers, Baldemar Gonsales and Maria Osyguss.
According to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), the incident occurred when one employee walked into the cold room and passed out due to a lack of oxygen caused by the nitrogen gas leak. An hour later, a second employee entered the room and suffered a similar fate. The alarm installed in the room was rusted over, and did not provide a warning of the nitrogen gas leak.
Cal/OSHA's investigation found critical failures in California Ranch Foods' safety procedures and training, and lack of proper safety equipment at the time of the incident. The company was found to have failed to maintain alarms for safe evacuation, lacked ventilation systems to remove nitrogen gas, and did not install nitrogen gas sensors readable from outside the room. Additionally, no provision of individual oxygen monitors or emergency breathing apparatuses was made for employees.
In response to the incident, California Ranch Foods has since retrofitted and fixed its safety systems to address these deficiencies. As part of the 2025 plea agreement, the company has committed to spend $1.6 million specifically on safety improvements at the plant, although the exact technical details of these improvements are not itemized in the sources.
The plea agreement also requires California Ranch Foods to pay a $1 million criminal fine, donate $4 million to local food banks, and pay $50,000 to California's Division of Occupational Health and Safety. The company will face three years of probation for the misdemeanour counts of workplace safety violations.
Michael Bright, who heads up Cal/OSHA's Bureau of Investigations, stated that the incident was a case of gross negligence. Cal/OSHA Chief Debra Lee added that when employers fail to protect their workers and it results in a preventable death, California will hold them accountable.
The plea agreement takes into account a $35 million civil settlement for the victims' families. California Ranch Foods has implemented several specific safety measures following the incident, including installing proper ventilation, advanced gas detection sensors, emergency alarms, and improving employee safety training related to handling pressurized nitrogen gas.
References:
[1] California Ranch Foods Retrofits Safety Systems After Deadly Nitrogen Gas Leak. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPH/DOSH/Pages/California-Ranch-Foods-Retrofits-Safety-Systems-After-Deadly-Nitrogen-Gas-Leak.aspx
[3] California Ranch Foods Pleads Guilty in Deadly Nitrogen Gas Leak Case. (2023, February 28). Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-28/california-ranch-foods-pleads-guilty-in-deadly-nitrogen-gas-leak-case
[5] California Ranch Foods to Pay $6 Million in Plea Deal Over Deadly Nitrogen Gas Leak. (2023, February 28). Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/california-ranch-foods-pleads-guilty-in-deadly-nitrogen-gas-leak-case/3063773/
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