The Sacramento-based health care company saved 'millions of dollars' at the expense of their workers, says lawsuit

Sutter Health staff have filed a lawsuit against the company after being exposed to a cleanser that was “so noxious that dozens of employees have reported illnesses after using it.”

The Sacramento-based health care company experienced high rates of diarrhea-causing germ infection in its hospitals, which led to the procurement of the cleanser, Ecolab’s “OxyCide,” according to the lawsuit filed in Alameda Court. The company alleged it was cheaper than the two-step cleaning process that its staff previously used and saved “millions of dollars” in costs, the lawsuit stated.

Among the suit's allegations is that an employee’s exposure to the cleanser led to reactive airways disease, a condition that occurs when a person's bronchial tubes overreact to an irritant and complicate breathing, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. Following similar incidents, 140 workers signed a petition against use of the product.

Sutter Health “wrote off the harm as ‘user error’ and put the workers through re-training,” saying “the product was essentially harmless,” the lawsuit stated. Furthermore, the company didn’t stop using the product “when confronted with its effects.”

In a report published by The Sacramento Bee, Sutter Health said the “health and safety of [its] employees [are] the company’s highest priority” and that its leaders are “proud of efforts being taken by affiliates...

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