Convalescent Home to Appeal Fines

State officials have fined a Santa Paula convalescent home more than $11,000 for work conditions they said endangered employees.

But Twin Pines Healthcare Administrator Stan Main said the home will appeal the fines, calling them “garden variety and not of a serious nature.” He said he expects some citations to be dismissed and the fines reduced on others.

California’s Occupational Safety and Health Division cited the home this month for 12 safety violations, ranging from incomplete health training to having an inadequate supply of needle disposal cans. Three violations were deemed serious, including using unlabeled bleach bottles to clean blood spills.

“This is rather a large number of violations,” said Cal-OSHA spokesman Rick Rice.

Workers represented by the Service Employees International Union first approached Cal-OSHA officials in December with safety complaints.

Their collective bargaining contract expired in February, and Main charged that their complaints may have been prompted by the labor negotiations. The union Monday faxed word of the fines to news organizations.

“In negotiations, these kind of things do happen,” he said. A labor agreement has yet to be worked out.

But union officials said the fines have nothing to do with the current bargaining.

“This is largely due to short staffing,” union spokeswoman Lisa Hubbard said.

The 99-bed home has until Aug. 1 to correct the unsafe conditions or it could face more fines, Main said. Twin Pines is owned by the Hillhaven Corp. in Arizona.