California Employer Pleads Guilty to Charges Over Deadly Nitrogen Leak

An employer has pleaded guilty to criminal charges after investigation into deadly nitrogen leak held the company responsible.

California Ranch Foods, a subsidiary of Golden West Food Group, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts after being criminally charged in connection with the 2020 deaths of two workers fatally exposed to nitrogen gas.

A Cal/OSHA investigation shows the victims, Baldemar Gonsales and Maria Osyguss, died after a malfunction in a nitrogen system led to a hazardous gas release on Dec. 1, 2020. Cal/OSHA’s investigation reportedly found critical failures in safety procedures and training related to the handling of pressurized gas systems

The case followed a criminal referral by Cal/OSHA’s Bureau of Investigations. It was prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, California Ranch Foods must:

• Invest $1.6 million in safety improvements at the facility
• Pay $50,000 to BOI to support enforcement efforts
• Serve three years of probation
• Pay a $1 million criminal fine
• Donate $4 million to local food banks
• Acknowledge a $35 million civil settlement with the victims’ families

Topics California Commercial Lines Business Insurance