Egg Farm Owner Had History of Unsafe Working Conditions

Written by Bruce Goldstein Monday, 23 August 2010 07:42

The salmonella outbreak in eggs apparently occurred at Wright County Eggs in Iowa, which is owned by DeCoster Egg Farms, a large company with a past history of serious occupational safety and health violations, as reported by the Washington Post.  Back in the late 1990's Farmworker Justice sought to help a local group in Maine improve conditions at a large egg production facility in Maine. 

Still More Preventable Farmworker Deaths from Heat Stress

Written by Bruce Goldstein Sunday, 18 July 2010 19:19

[Serious injury and death from heat stress are preventable.  The federal OSHA needs to adopt a heat stress safety standard.  California has one but it needs to be stronger and better enforced.]

SACRAMENTO BEE   July 17, 2010  By Susan Ferriss

Possible link to heat exposure investigated in 5 California worker deaths

As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issues warnings for Californians to beware of sizzling heat, Cal-OSHA is already investigating five worker deaths since June as possibly related to heat exposure.

Two deaths occurred Wednesday – the same day that state legislators held a Capitol hearing on whether the state's regulations are good enough to protect workers from injury and death.  "Heat illness continues to be extremely significant for us, and we put special emphasis on it," said Erika Monterroza, a state occupational safety spokeswoman.

Four people whose deaths are under investigation were farmworkers, and one was a construction worker.  Schwarzenegger issued a statement Friday to "remind outdoor workers and those that employ them of California's stringent regulations to prevent heat illness."

On Wednesday, Rodolfo Ceballos Carrillo, 54, collapsed while loading boxes of table grapes onto trucks at Sunview Vineyards in Kern County.  Autopsy results are pending. Temperatures reached 97 degrees. In July 2008, Abdon Felix, 42, another worker for Sunview Vineyards, died after performing the same job.  Felix's death was confirmed as due to heat stress. Sunview Vineyards was not found in violation of regulations.  Dan Gallegos, representative of Sunview, said Sunview believes Ceballos Carrillo had health problems and did not die of heat stress.  "We're deeply and sincerely saddened by his death," Gallegos said.  Monterroza said Cal-OSHA will consider whether loading heavy boxes in high heat played a role in his death.

Some safety specialists believe that California's heat-safety laws, while better than most states', should include mandatory rest breaks during high temperatures.

The regulations, which were beefed up several years ago at Schwarzenegger's urging, instruct supervisors to let workers take extra breaks if they request them.

United Farm Workers National Vice President Armando Elenes said workers who are paid piece-rate wages for harvesting or loading boxes are reluctant to ask for breaks because they fear looking unfit for work or losing money.

The other deaths Cal-OSHA is probing are: a plum picker, 49, in Tulare County who died June 11; a farmworker, 33, who died in Indio June 29; a farm mechanic, 57, who died in Firebaugh July 12; and a construction worker who died Wednesday in San Bernardino County.

Monterroza said Cal-OSHA has done about 1,340 work site inspections to check for heat- safety violations, and found 316 this year.  Five companies have been shut down and reopened after addressing violations.

Farmworkers Prime Example of Occupational Safety Challenges Among Immigrant Workers

Written by Bruce Goldstein Monday, 14 June 2010 16:16

We were pleased to participate today in a panel discussion at the Migration Policy Institute called:  "Migration and Occupational Health: Shining a Light on the Problem."  The lead speaker, Prof. Marc Schenker, MD, MPH, relied heavily on the experiences of agricultural workers in describing the occupational safety issues faced by immigrant workers.  Prof. Schenker also wrote the lead article -- with the same title as the workshop -- for a special edition of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine (April 2010).

The other speakers were Deborah Berkowitz, Chief of Staff, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, US Department of Labor; John Howard, Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Marc Schenker, Director, Migration and Health Research Center, University of California, Davis; Bruce Goldstein, Executive Director, Farmworker Justice; and Xochitl Castañeda, Director, Health Initiative of the Americas, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Moderated by Michael Fix, Senior Vice President and Director of Studies.

A powerpoint presentation from Prof. Schenker's talk is at http://www.migrationpolicy.org/events/index.php .  We highlighted the need for policy reforms, including immigration reform, extension of OSHA standards to agriculture, overcoming farm labor contracting abuses, strengthening EPA worker protection standards, government cooperation with farmworker unions and community-based farmworker groups, and much more effective enforcement of labor protections.

Secretary Solis/OSHA Convene Latino Worker Occupational Safety Conference

Written by Bruce Goldstein Friday, 16 April 2010 15:37

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration convened a summit on improving safety and health in the workplace for Latino workers.  Read one of the articles.  Farmworker Justice's Senior Attorney Virginia Ruiz participated in the conference and presented information on the disproportionate injury rates in agriculture and the need for stronger safety standards and enforcement.