A California agency handed down stiff penalties six months after two men lost their lives at a composting operation.

The California-Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal-OSHA) recently issued 16 citations totaling $166,890 to Community Recycling & Resource Recovery Inc.'s facility in Lamont, Calif. "This case should be a wake-up call for all kinds of facilities like this," Cal-OSHA Chief Ellen Widess said, "and things that really have to be taken into account before workers are put at risk. It is, of course, possible to do that." The agency said Community Recycling neglected to...