(Wine-Searcher) - Winery rapped on the knuckles over the state of its worker accommodation.

California stalwart Ridge Vineyards has fallen foul of the Department of Labor over the living conditions of its workers, ending up with a hefty fine.

Farm labor contractor Four Seasons Vineyard Management (FSVM) and Ridge were fined a total of $42,600 for providing "deplorable" housing for farm workers, the US Department of Labor reported last week.

The DOL's Wage and Hour Division said that violations of accommodation guidelines at a worker housing facility in Healdsburg, Sonoma County, "posed a direct and imminent threat to the safety and health of workers living there".

The facility is on property owned and controlled by Ridge Vineyards and run by Four Seasons Vineyard Management, the DOL said. Both FSVM and Ridge were jointly liable for the housing conditions.

"The vineyard owners and farm labor contractors who employ and house farm workers are responsible for ensuring the safety of the housing they are providing for their employees," Susana Blanco, director of the Wage and Hour Division in San Francisco, said. "Vineyard owners who use contractors to recruit and hire farm workers can be jointly responsible for ensuring these workers are being paid in compliance with the law and housed and transported safely."

Serious violations included exposed electrical wiring in living area; a third-story loft with only one entry and exit ladder; a sharp, knife-like metal object sticking out of the floor; and a bathroom that lacked proper ventilation. The DOL also discovered that FSVM was garnishing workers' wages. The company was not authorized to provide housing and not entitled to collect rent, but collected a rental fee anyway, automatically deducting it from the farm workers' pay and then passing it on to Ridge.

Other findings included a lack of protective screens and doors, leading to insect, rodents and other vermin infestation, and that workers did not have enough protection against the elements. The department said it also has recovered $1750 in back wages due to 10 workers for the rent that the contractor illegally deducted from their pay.

Ridge's vice-president in charge of human resources Nicole Buttitta said the company was working to rectify the violations.

"Ridge and Four Seasons take this matter very seriously because Ridge and Four Seasons have always made the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees a top priority," she said.