Business & Tech
Cannabis Company Fined By CAL/ OSHA For Explosion In Santa Cruz
Authorities said the worker was badly burned in a June explosion.
WATSONVILLE, CA — A Watsonville cannabis product manufacturer has been ordered to pay over $50,000 in fines to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health after one of its workers was badly burned in a June explosion. An employee of Santa Cruz-based Future2 Labs Health Services Inc. was working inside a portable storage container to extract oil from cannabis leaves using propane when the gas ignited and exploded on June 19, according to Cal/OSHA. The facility was located at 18 Hangar Way.
The employer had not tested the atmosphere inside the 128-square-foot storage container to ensure there were no flammable gasses or vapors, according to Cal/OSHA, resulting in the worker being hospitalized for several days. Cal/OSHA cited the company for 10 penalties, including a lack of adequate training, failing to protect its workers by establishing an emergency action plan and a hazard communication program.
The company also did not report the accident to Cal/OSHA, according to the agency. Future2 Labs could not be reached for comment.
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By Bay City News
Photo via Shutterstock
