The Brief
- Three employees were killed at Alco Iron and Metal in San Leandro in the last eight years, records show.
- Cal-OSHA, the state agency that investigates workplace safety, is understaffed and doesn’t have power to shut down companies.
- Alco said in a statement that safety is a high priority.
SAN LEANDRO, Calif. – Three workers in the last eight years have been killed at a family-owned metal scrap recycling business, and the San Leandro company has been fined for more than 60 safety violations as far back as the 1990s – possibly the worst safety record of any similar company in the last 10 years in California, a review of state records shows.
Despite the deaths and injuries at Alco Iron & Metal, the state has no real power to shut this company, or any company, down completely.
Inspectors with California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or Cal-OSHA, have done their part by citing and fining Alco. But the company has regularly been able to appeal the violations and pay a lesser amount, as is their right under state law. …