[Shasta County] GRAND JURY: OUTDATED FACILITY, UNDERTRAINED STAFF AT SHASTA COUNTY CORONER’S OFFICE

The Shasta County Grand Jury inspected the Shasta County Coroner’s facility in August, finding staff is undertrained and the facility is outdated.

SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. - After an inspection of the Shasta County Coroner’s facility, the Grand Jury found the building was outdated and the size was insufficient for the current and future needs of Shasta County, the report says.

The Shasta County Coroner’s Office Report comes after the Shasta County Grand Jury inspected the coroner's facility on Aug. 16.

The Grand Jury observed a bone saw with residue on it during its inspection of the autopsy suite.

The last entry of the checklist seen above was made on Aug. 9, 2019.

The report found the facility was not in compliance with several California code regulations, Occupational Health and Safety Administration regulations and a Center for Disease Control regulation.

According to the report, a checklist is posted for what needs to be done in preparation for the next autopsy. During the visit on Aug. 16, the jury noticed the checklist had no entries in over two years. The last entry was Aug. 9, 2019.

The facility, which was found to be inadequate, can accommodate up to 20 dead bodies on gurneys, according to the report. But the report indicates that the number has approached 30 at times.

When there are more than 20 bodies, the reports said the dead bodies, in body bags, share a gurney.

The report also says there is no staging area, so the bodies are kept in an air-conditioned coroner van until delivery can be made into a cold storage area.

The Grand Jury found the coroner’s office autopsy suite does not meet the minimum standards for California Code of Regulation Title 8: Sections 5141(a), 5143(a)(1),5193(d), 5193(d)(3)(H), 5199 and the Center for Disease Control “Guidelines for Safe Work Practices in Human and Animal Medical Diagnostic Laboratories.”

According to the report, the Grand Jury noticed a dirty bone saw with bone residue on it, “poor air flow, and low-quality facility maintenance.”

The report says the investigation revealed a lack of training for the supervising Chief Deputy Coroner, a lack of written training protocols, and an unclean and unsafe working environment. It also says the Chief Deputy Coroner retires or moves on after a brief time in the position.

The Grand Jury was given a 14-week training manual that the Coroner’s Office provided them. The report says many staff members come untrained and training provided by the office comes at the state’s minimum, an 80-hour death investigator course.

In the findings of the report, it says the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office does not encourage or provide training for staff at the Coroner’s Office, resulting in undertrained staff.

Also, there is no opportunity to advance within the Coroner’s Office with there being one DCI level and no caption position available, according to the Grand Jury report.

There is also no biohazard plan, the autopsy viewing area has no audio and it limits viewing from the autopsy suite, according to the report.

Action News Now – Chico, Redding
Brandon Downs
December 6, 2021 12:40 PM