Cal/OSHA launches new ag enforcement unit
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) - Cal/OSHA aims to promote farmworkers' safety by conducting proactive inspections day and night.
These visits begin as early as 4 a.m. under their new ag unit
Cal/OSHA representatives from Sacramento visited Monterey County Thursday morning… Along with Salina Cal/OSHA's new ag unit, representatives interacted with farmworkers and drivers to educate them on transportation, workplace safety, and heat-related illnesses.
Representatives called for a non-traditional schedule to conduct these inspections, as they believe safety should also be enforced at night and early morning, not only during the daytime hours.
The ag unit focuses on safety measures for vans that require seatbelt use.. Hoping to prevent fatalities, as those seen in other regions in California.
"We are not waiting for a fatality. We are not waiting for the illness or the complaint. We are just proactively surveying and doing inspections in this industry and making sure we correct those hazards before they happen," Edager Gonzalez, Regional Manager of Agricultural Task Force and Outreach Unit, said
The ag unit is also focusing on safety measures for vans in hopes of preventing deaths like those in other parts of the state.
"We are trying to educate workers that in the event they get in a car, where they don't have access to a seatbelt, they are allowed to tell their employer that they would rather wait for a unit that has access to a seatbelt," Gonzalez said.
Cal/OSHA's ag unit is also doing outreach for heat-related illnesses. It encourages farmworkers not to be afraid to speak up about their rights and safety concerns at their workplaces
In a statement, Monterey County Farm Bureau Executive Director Norm Groot says in part:
While enforcement is a necessary part of ensuring that rules and regulations are followed and maintained, the agricultural enforcement unit has not yet made clear what workplace concerns they will be investigating locally. The Farm Bureau stands by to educate our farm operations on any new rules and regulations that may be promulgated by Cal/OSHA.
