OSHA Cites City of Berkeley, CA for Safety Violations

It's not just employers who are cited for safety violations; cities and municipalities can be cited as well.

Earlier this month, the city of Berkeley, California was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for failure to meet certain safety standards, one of which consisted of providing a cover for each circuit breaker, as well as checking garbage trucks before each shift, and ensuring programs had the necessary training programs in place. In response to these citations, Berkeley, filed an appeal for six of the eight alleged violations.

So, why did OSHA target Berkeley? News of the citations came shortly after city worker Johnny Tolliver Sr. was killed while operating a garbage truck. OSHA immediately launched an investigation into the incident, after which it determined that Berkeley did not meet the necessary safety standards to provide a safe working environment for its worker. It's unclear exactly how Tolliver was killed during the incident, as his co-worker did not the see it happen. Tolliver had been working with the city's Waste division for more than two decades.

Matthai Chakko, spokesperson for Berkeley, said the city is determined to improve its training and safety standards. Chakko also said that Berkeley will add signs and labels to garbage trucks, reminding drivers and crew to follow all of the necessary safety precautions to reduce the risk of injury.

During its initial proposal, OSHA proposed fines ranging from $560 to $22,500. The two largest fines were $22,500, and were given by OSHA for failure to ensure that the vehicle was under control at all times of operation, and for failure to engage the parking brake when the truck was parked.

Zero Waste division drivers that were interviewed by OSHA stated that many workers hadn’t previously read or seen the operating manual and basic explanations of truck gears was inadequate. OSHA also found that drivers did not commonly use parking brakes while on slopes.

"We’ve been looking at a number of different practices and policies to see how we can improve workplace safety for employees,” said city spokesperson Matthai Chakko. “That won’t stop and that’s what we’re going to continue working on.”