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Two Half Moon Bay mushroom farms where a mass shooting occurred in January were cited by state regulators Monday for several health and safety violations.
A mass shooting Jan. 23 at the farms, California Terra Garden Inc. and Concord Farms Inc., sparked the investigation by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA).
Chunli Zhao, an employee at California Terra Garden at the time and a former employee at the nearby Concord Farms, is being accused of murder and attempted murder for the shootings. The shootings killed four workers and injured a fifth at California Terra Garden and killed three more workers at Concord Farms.
Zhao has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
California Terra Garden was cited for 22 violations, including failing to have workplace safety procedures "to immediately notify employees of an active shooter threat and instruct them to seek shelter," Cal/OSHA wrote in its statement. Cal/OSHA proposed $113,800 in penalties for California Terra Garden.
Concord Farms is facing $51,770 in proposed penalties for 19 violations. These include letting previous incidents of workplace violence go unaddressed and failing to have safety procedures to prevent future hazards.
Both employers were also cited for not training workers in a language they could understand and providing onsite worker housing without a labor camp permit.
Concord Farms did not immediately respond to a request for comment as of Tuesday. California Terra Garden was unable to be reached for comment.
A U.S. House of Representatives resolution in March noted that all the victims in the shooting were immigrant farm laborers working in exploitative conditions. Their names were Yetao Bing, Qizhong Cheng, Marciano Martinez Jimenez, Zhishen Liu, Jingzhi Lu, Jose Romero Perez and Aixiang Zhang.
Another victim, Pedro Romero Perez, was critically injured in the shooting but survived.
The Coastside Victims Fund was created after the shooting, giving all donations to the victims' families and other employees who experienced psychological injuries after the shooting.
Investigations by other state agencies are ongoing and may result in additional enforcement actions, Cal/OSHA said. The criminal case against Zhao is still pending.
Employees concerned about their workplace safety can call (833) 579-0927 to speak with a Cal/OSHA representative during regular business hours. Confidential complaints can be filed with Cal/OSHA district offices.
Employers can contact Cal/OSHA's Consultation Services Branch at (800) 963-9424 or InfoCons@dir.ca.gov. General guidance for workplace safety can be found on the Cal/OSHA website at https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/worksecurity.html.
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