Harvesting company to pay out for not taking employees to doctor after pesticide exposure

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) The Monterey County District Attorney's Office said Azcona Harvesting has agreed to pay $55,000 for not taking employees to a doctor immediately after they began showing signs of pesticide exposure.

The DA's Office announced that the EPA entered into a settlement with the company. The judgement requires Azcona Harvesting to pay the financial penalty that includes an order keeping them from violating the requirement in the future.

Reiter Berry Farms, the company responsible for the pesticide application, was also required to pay $195,200.

The incident happened in June 2017. At around 5:30 a.m., Reiter Berry Farms employees started applying pesticides to Hartnell Ranch in Salinas. About an hour later, a crew with Azcona Harvesting got to Madison Farms' Norton Ranch nearby to start harvesting berries. Two hours later, 27 workers from Azcona Harvesting started showing symptoms of pesticide exposure, including vomiting, nausea, dizziness, eye irritation and headaches.

Employers are required to take their employees to a doctor when it is reasonable to suspect that the employee has a pesticide illness or when the employee has been exposed to a pesticide that may lead to illness, according to the DA's Office.

Azcona Harvesting took three employees who vomited to a doctor, but did not take others who were showing symptoms of pesticide exposure or were exposed and might have developed symptoms.

The DA's Office said Azzcona Harvesting and Reiter Berry Farms cooperated with the investigation into the incident.

Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales said, “Agricultural employers must plan for the eventuality of farm workers getting exposed to pesticides while working in the fields. All sick and exposed workers must be taken immediately to receive emergency medical care. If employers are unsure, they should err on the side of caution.”