Pierce County business fined after worker’s death for not enforcing COVID protocols
The state Department of Labor and Industries found that an employee at a Sumner seafood processing plant died from COVID-19 after managers failed to enforce any safety measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
L&I placed a $56,000 fine on Shining Ocean Inc. at 1515 Puyallup St. for not enforcing COVID-19 protocols such as wearing masks during a Nov. 4, 2021, staff meeting, according to a news release from L&I.
The company paid the fine in full and it will go to the workers’ compensation supplemental pension fund. This will help workers and family members who have lost a loved one.
At the Nov. 4 meeting, 16 workers were infected with COVID-19, one of whom died from it, according to the news release. About three or four of the 23 workers who attended the meeting were wearing masks. The company president was not.
“Management got complacent about workplace safety, and it cost a worker his life,” L&I Assistant Director Craig Blackwood said in the news release.
There was no system at the business to verify workers’ vaccination status. The company president told L&I masks were not enforced because “he didn’t feel like there was a reason to,” according to the news release.
Workers said the company president told them wearing masks at work is a personal choice, according to the news release.
“This happened when COVID rates and hospitalizations were high and the requirement to wear masks was still in place,” Blackwood said in the news release.
Shining Ocean Inc.’s violation is classified as willful serious because the employer knew the risk but refused to enforce any COVID-19 safety protocols. L&I will more closely monitor the company under its severe violator program.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Pierce County business fined after worker’s death for not enforcing COVID protocols."
