WA Fruit Company Fined $156,000 For COVID-19 Safety Violations

COWICHE, WA — The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries have announced a $156,000 fine for Evans Fruit Co., after the company refused to address COVID-19 safety concerns at their worksite in Cowiche.

According to L&I, Evans Fruit Co. had already been fined once: this summer their inspectors found social distancing and masking violation at two of the companies fruit packing locations, and slapped them with a fine of $6,600.

However, that fine wasn't enough to get the company to shape up, and in October L&I received an anonymous complaint that the company's Cowiche worksite wasn't following safety regulations either.

During their inspection, L&I says they found workers not socially distancing, and with no physical barriers seperating work groups. They also saw several employees both in the warehouse and the office who were not wearing masks. The safety manager even told the inspectors he was not requiring workers to wear masks.

In repsonse L&I issued an Order and Notice of Immediate Restraint, requiring the company to immediately conform to masking and safety requirements, which they did, but they're also issuing a major fine because the company repeatedly refused to protect its workers.

“COVID-19 is a serious workplace hazard, and we expect employers to treat it that way,” said Craig Blackwood, the acting assistant director for L&Is Division of Occupational Safety and Health. "Mask and distancing requirements are not voluntary. They are meant to prevent the spread of COVID in the workplace, but they won’t work if they’re not used. Evans Fruit Company’s blatant disregard for the rules threatens employee health and safety."

The $156,000 is ten times what a regular fine would be: L&I says that's because the company knew they had to require masks, but chose to ignore the requirements, causing a "risk of serious illness or death" for its employees. Evans Fruit Co. has 15 workdays to appeal the violation.

Since the state created the COVID-19 workplace safety regulations, L&I have investigated hundreds of potential violations across the state. In 2020, they say they inspected 422 agriculture businesses, and found 517 violations — 60 percent of those violations were related to COVID-19 regulations.

Related: 11 Washington Businesses Have Been Fined For Mask Violations