The state agency that enforces workplace safety rules says employees of the city of Los Angeles were exposed to unsanitary conditions on the walkways outside City Hall East, according to two citations issued last week.
Inspectors with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, found that workers at City Hall East were exposed to “trash and bodily fluids” on the exterior passageways. City Hall East is home to several city agencies, including City Atty. Mike Feuer’s office. Homeless people frequently sleep overnight on the sidewalks outside.
Cal/OSHA issued one citation to Feuer’s office and another to the city’s General Services Department, which oversees maintenance of city properties, assessing a combined $1,995 in penalties. Rob Wilcox, a Feuer spokesman, said the city would appeal both and noted that the city attorney’s office is not responsible for upkeep of the grounds outside City Hall East, which is across the street from City Hall.
“The tentative OSHA citation addresses conditions on the exterior grounds of City Hall East,” Wilcox wrote, referring to the citation sent to Feuer. “Our office clearly has no role in maintaining the building’s exterior grounds.”
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