Cal/OSHA Cites Contractor After Workers Hospitalized for Valley Fever

Cal/OSHA has issued serious health and safety citations to Underground Construction Co. Inc. of Benicia, Calif., after two of its employees contracted Valley Fever.

The workers were reportedly exposed to the fungal disease while using hand tools to dig trenches in Kings, Fresno and Merced counties — areas where the soil is known to contain harmful spores that cause the infection.

“When soil is disturbed by activities such as digging, driving, or high winds, Valley Fever spores can become airborne and potentially be inhaled,” Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum said in a statement. “Without the proper training, protection and mitigation procedures, workers are likely to be exposed and get sick.”

Cal/OSHA was notified in September 2018 that the employees were hospitalized after being diagnosed with Valley Fever, also known as Coccidioidomycosis. Symptoms of the disease are similar to the flu and include fatigue, shortness of breath and fever. Severe cases can cause serious lung problems.

The workers were tasked with digging trenches up to 5½ feet deep to allow access to gas pipelines for maintenance. Dust was not controlled, and the workers did not wear any respiratory protection, Cal/OSHA found.

Exposure to the disease could have occurred in any one of the three counties where the fungal spores are known to be endemic.

Cal/OSHA’s investigation found that Underground Construction did not evaluate the hazard of performing digging work in areas known to contain the coccidioides fungal spores. The employer did not suppress or control harmful dusts and failed to provide employees with respiratory protection. Cal/OSHA issued three citations to the employer with $27,000 in proposed penalties.

Since 2017, Cal/OSHA has cited 12 businesses for work-related Valley Fever.