Harvest Season Is Busy — Don’t Let Safety Compliance Get Overlooked
Harvest Season Is Busy — Don’t Let Safety Compliance Get Overlooked
Harvest season is one of the busiest times of year for California agriculture. With equipment running, crews working long hours, and operations moving at full speed, it can also be a time when workplace safety issues are easier to overlook.
At the same time, Cal/OSHA enforcement doesn’t slow down just because harvest is underway.
California Safety Training Corporation (CSTC) has worked with clients during harvest season to help identify and address potential compliance concerns before they lead to an employee injury, Cal/OSHA citation, or costly disruption to operations.
What Are We Looking For During a Safety Audit?
Our field and facility safety inspections focus primarily on Cal/OSHA compliance and conditions that have the potential to result in serious injuries or serious citations.
Rather than concentrating on routine HR or employee-file administration, our safety professionals look at what is actually happening in the workplace.
Some of the areas we may evaluate include:
- Equipment and machine guarding
- Harvest equipment and field operations
- Employee safety training and safe work practices
- Written safety programs and required procedures
- Hazard identification and correction
- Conditions or practices that could contribute to a serious employee injury
- Observable Cal/OSHA compliance issues
- Applicable food-safety-related conditions when they overlap with workplace safety
- Whether established safety procedures are actually being followed in the field
This boots-on-the-ground approach can be especially valuable during harvest, when equipment use, staffing levels, working conditions, and production demands may be very different from the rest of the year.
Finding the Problem Before Cal/OSHA Does
One of the most valuable questions an employer can ask is:
“If Cal/OSHA walked onto our property today, what would they see?”
A written safety program is important, but having a program on paper doesn’t necessarily mean the practices in the field match it.
For example, an employer may have procedures covering machine guarding, employee training, heat illness prevention, or equipment operation. But if an employee removes a guard, a supervisor allows an unsafe practice to continue, required training isn’t being applied, or a hazardous condition goes uncorrected, the employer may still have significant exposure.
An outside safety inspection provides another set of trained eyes to look at your operation from a compliance and injury-prevention perspective.
It’s About More Than Avoiding Citations
The goal of a safety audit shouldn’t simply be to prepare for Cal/OSHA.
The bigger goal is identifying conditions that could seriously hurt someone.
Many significant workplace incidents can be connected to hazards involving equipment, guarding, training, procedures, or unsafe practices that could potentially have been identified beforehand.
Finding those issues early gives employers an opportunity to correct them before someone gets hurt.
Start With One Field or Facility
A comprehensive safety program doesn’t have to begin with a long-term contract.
CSTC can start with a one-time field, facility, or harvest equipment safety inspection. This gives your organization an opportunity to see what we identify, review our recommendations, and determine whether additional services would provide value.
Depending on the size and scope of the operation, CSTC can perform individual site inspections or more extensive audits that include a detailed written report.
For agricultural operations in the middle of harvest, even one proactive inspection can provide valuable insight into conditions that may otherwise go unnoticed during the busiest part of the year.
A Trusted Safety Partner Since 1985
California Safety Training Corporation has been helping employers protect their workers and improve workplace safety for more than 40 years.
Our approach is practical: identify hazards, explain the compliance concern, and help employers determine what needs to be corrected.
Because at the end of the day, compliance matters — but everyone deserves to go home safe.
Is Your Operation Ready for a Safety Check?
If you’re in the middle of harvest or simply haven’t had an outside set of eyes evaluate your operation recently, now may be a good time.
Contact California Safety Training Corporation (CSTC) to discuss a field, facility, or harvest equipment safety inspection.
CSTC Safety
661-377-8300
Since 1985 — helping California employers build safer workplaces.
.jpg)
