Executives Plead Guilty in Employee Death on Job

SAN FRANCISCO—The owner and manager of Digital Pre-Press International pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from the 2008 death of an employee, the Contra Costa Times reported.

Sanjay Sakhuja, owner and CEO of Digital Pre-Press International, and pressroom manager Alick Yeung pleaded guilty in San Francisco Superior Court for the death of Margarita Mojica, who was fatally injured when she became crushed by the cutter/creaser on which she was working. Prosecutors said the machine suddenly activated as she reached into it.

Sakhuja pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and five counts of willful violations of California Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations causing death or permanent injury, the newspaper reported. Yeung pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of violating the state's OSHA codes.

Court records showed that employees of Digital Pre-Press International were not trained on proper safety procedures, including turning off a machine's power source before setting up jobs on the cutter/creaser. The machine allegedly lacked required safety devices.

According to the Times, Sakhuja faces up to three years in state prison and a $250,000 fine. If he pays the corporate and personal fines, he may get just one year in county jail and five years' probation. Yeung is receiving three years' probation.