Night Farming Up for Debate in California

In an effort to ensure employee safety in the farming industry, California regulators have developed rules to increase safety at night during farm operations. The biggest change are the technical requirements that would come into play as far as lighting levels for nighttime work.

The arguments for these new laws include the fact that without adequate lighting, there’s a great chance for injury and possibly death. There is strong backing by labor groups as night time harvesting is common on many farms.

Obviously the arguments against them come from the employers and the huge cost that would come into play given the parameters of the lighting and the varying levels of light in different places on the farm or worksite.

As far as savings from limiting the number of accidents annually, it’s estimated that there would be approximately $36.7 million dollars saved by lowering the number of workers comp claims what occur due to the nighttime conditions.

For more information on these new proposed rules, click here to read the full article.

Don’t hesitate to let us know how we can help you navigate through these employee safety regulations for night farming.