Health And Safety Violations

A sweeping inspection of Metro Rail subway construction conditions found 131 alleged health and safety violations that together carry fines of more than $250,000, according to a final report Tuesday released by Cal/OSHA. In a joint weeklong audit by state and federal occupational safety agencies last month, inspectors reported inadequate shoring around trenches and numerous electrical hazards.

The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, found three years ago to have the most hazardous working conditions of any of the nation's eight government yards, was cited by federal officials Thursday for 66 health and safety violations, 42 of them serious.

A Costa Mesa resident who owns a hotel in Los Angeles' Wilmington area has been finedmore than $10,000 after pleading no contest to 10 health and safety violations at the building, authorities said. Roy Molina Aquino, 50, was sentenced after being cited in October by the Los Angeles Slum Housing Task Force for the violations at the Don Hotel, a four-story, 128-room building at 105 E. I St., according to the Los Angeles city attorney's office.

The Ambassador Care board-and-care home, which was abruptly shut down by state officials Wednesday, had a history of health and safety violations, and was run by an operator who was ordered to close three other facilities this year, according to records and interviews Thursday. One of those facilities was the Acacia Inn in Pasadena, which the state Department of Social Services shut down in January on grounds that it was inadequately staffed and residents weren't given enough food.

With the most crowded households of any large U.S. city and many of its dwellings substandard, Santa Ana faces an intractable dilemma: how to enforce health and safety laws without forcing thousands of residents onto the street. Santa Ana's average household size of 4.6 people is, according to the U.S. census, greater than that of any other U.S. city with a population of more than 50,000. The average household size in Los Angeles is 2.8; in New York City, it's 2.6.

Nearly a month after the state Department of Social Services revoked the license of the Sharon Lynn Guest home, the state attorney general's office is seeking an injunction against its owner, barring her from operating another unlicensed facility. The petition filed Nov. 17 contends that Geneva Church has been operating an unlicensed community care facility called Ephesians Haven at 1925 Hobart Blvd. since moving most of the 14 residents there from the Sharon Lynn facility late last month.

In an unprecedented move, the California Youth Authority on Wednesday decertified one of Los Angeles County's three juvenile hall facilities because it was in violation of health and safety regulations. The move against 33-year-old Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey could render the county "highly vulnerable to liability lawsuits," regional CYA Administrator Rito Rosa said.

Union Carbide Corp. agreed Friday to pay a record $408,500 fine for contested health and safety violations, settling a landmark case involving two West Virginia plants, including one where the company was accused of exposing unprotected workers to a deadly gas. The nation's fourth-largest chemical company denied violating the law.

February, 1980: Summit Health Ltd. and Summit Care Corp. take over the management of Corbin Convalescent Hospital in Reseda. June, 1980: After inspections, the county health department reports "major problems" in administration, food and social services, and specialized rehabilitation. The department denies Summit a permanent license. November, 1980: After reapplying for a license and passing a new inspection, Summit receives a license.