Hillsborough Man Charged in Deaths of Workers at Bernal Heights Granite Company

San Francisco, CA — A Hillsborough man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and labor code violations in connection with the deaths of two workers at a Bernal Heights granite company in 2014, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon announced today.

Meng Peng, 66, faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter and three violations of labor codes due to the deaths of Philip Marich, a 53-year-old South San Francisco resident and Hector Vasquez, a 46-year-old
Oakland resident, on Feb. 17, 2014.

Marich and Vasquez were removing granite from a shipping container at Galaxy Granite, Inc. at 1525 Cortland Ave. when the heavy slabs fell on them at 10:16 a.m., fire officials said at the time.

Marich was pronounced dead at the scene, while Vasquez was pronounced dead at San Francisco General Hospital. Peng, the company's owner, allegedly violated workplace safety procedures by failing to assess the hazards of moving the granite slabs or properly train his employees.

"Employers cannot simply send their workers into hazardous work conditions untrained and without the appropriate equipment," Gascon said in a statement. "California employers must vigilantly assess employees' conditions and work methods when requiring their workers to engage in dangerous tasks."

Peng was arrested on Monday and is currently out of custody on $600,000 bail, with arraignment scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

The California Division of Occupational Health and Safety collaborated with the District Attorney's Office on the investigation.

By Bay City News

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