Pot firm is fined for explosion

Santa Cruz company must pay more than $50,000 after worker is severely burned.

A Santa Cruz marijuana manufacturing company is being fined more than $50,000 by state regulators for safety violations after an employee was severely burned in a propane explosion, officials have announced.

An employee at Future2 Labs Health Services was working alone inside a 128square-foot portable storage container in Watsonville on June 19, extracting oil from cannabis leaves with propane, when a spark ignited the tank and it exploded. The worker was hospitalized with severe burns, according to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

“The process of using a highly flammable gas to extract oil from cannabis leaves is dangerous,” Cal/ OSHA Chief Juliann Sum said Thursday in a prepared statement.

The agency determined that the company did not test the atmosphere inside the container for flammable gases or vapors, which created an environment where a spark could ignite propane.

Cal/OSHA fined the company based on 10 workplace violations it discovered, including the company’s failure to protect workers around flammable vapors, provide protective gear and maintain equipment. The business also was cited for inadequate training, failure to establish an emergency action plan and failure to report a serious workplace injury, according to the agency.

“To prevent injuries and mitigate risk, employers in the cannabis industry must establish and implement an effective injury and illness prevention program, provide effective training to their employees and comply with safety and health standards,” Sum said.