California Ag Network

Tag: OSHA

  • Paso Robles Soil Health Project Looking for Participants

    The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance and Upper Salinas Las Tablas RCD is working with a team of California soil scientists and extension agents (Dr. Cristina Lazcano, Dr. Kerri Steenwerth, Dr. Charlotte Decock, Mark Battany and others) to study soil health, and the potential for carbon sequestration in vineyard soils of Paso Robles. Our goals include developing real metrics for what a “healthy soil” is for premium wine grapes, and as we learn, educating our members and all growers on what practices best impact soil health, carbon sequestration, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in our vineyards. This study is funded through the American Vineyard Foundation. We are now recruiting collaborating growers in the Paso Robles AVA. Are you willing to participate in the next phase of this exciting research project?

    BACKGROUND

    In the last years there has been a big push for growers to incorporate practices that improve or preserve soil health. However, there are not yet clear guidelines on how much the health of a particular soil can be improved given certain management practices. There is also no information on how soil health may be important for wine grape production as compared to other crops. This project aims to determine the variability of soil health indicators (soil organic matter, infiltration etc.) in areas with different soil types and climate in Paso Robles.

    GROWER COMMITMENT

    • Allow our researchers to collect soil samples and perform soil health assessment during the 2022 late winter months (aiming for February 2022). They would like to sample from blocks that have high vs. low soil health/vigor. (approx. 2 hours needed).
    • Participate in an interview (approx. 1 hour long) to discuss what aspects of soil health you consider important for wine grape production, and the practices that you are using to promote soil health. Interviews can be done at the time of sampling, or at a different time either in person or remotely (through Zoom).
    • Approx. 3 hours total time commitment
      

    SAFETY PROTOCOLS

    • At all times, the researchers will adhere to strict COVID-19 safety protocols as directed by the CDC, OSHA and adhering to the specific practices that each grower has in place for your operation.
      

    Thank you in advance for your consideration, If you are willing to participate or have any questions please contact Dr. Lazcano, Assistant Professor of Soil Ecology, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis at clazcano@ucdavis.edu.

  • Three CA Dairy Companies Receive Dairy Industry Safety Recognition Award

    The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) today recognizes 34 dairy companies (including three from California) for their outstanding achievements in worker safety in 2020 with the IDFA Dairy Industry Safety Recognition Award. This is the eighteenth year that IDFA has sponsored this program, highlighting the outstanding workplace safety achievements of U.S. dairy companies.

    “In announcing these dairy companies as safety award winners, the dairy industry continues to demonstrate that safety in the workplace is the dairy industry’s number one priority,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO. “Each award represents the success of the innovative and proactive approaches to workplace safety by dairy company safety teams. Every day, year after year, dairy companies go above and beyond to provide a safe and productive work environment. Consumers and customers of dairy foods companies value how these innovations help to deliver safe, wholesome and nutritious food to people around the world.”

    Each company applied by detailing their occupational injury and illness performance rates as well as a providing a narrative essay on safety efforts at the facility. Evaluations and awards were based on a review of injury statistics from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and judged by Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., of Fisher & Phillips LLP, Kathie Canning of Dairy Foods magazine, and Taylor Boone of IDFA.

    “Lagging indicators such as lost time injury and illness rates and DART rates do not give the full picture of how good a company safety and health program is,” said Foulke, Jr. “Moving towards utilizing leading indicators such as a strong culture of worker safety including continuous improvement, continuous education, engagement for employees and observations by managers and employees are more effective ways to improve a good safety and health program. Clearly, many members of the International Dairy Foods Association are utilizing, not only lagging indicators, but are now focusing in on leading indicators which will dramatically enhance their safety and health programs. These awards demonstrate that companies’ understanding of how and why a strong safety culture is such an integral part of any dairy facility operation.”

    “These awards show that the dairy industry is driven not only to produce nutritious and delicious dairy products, but to do so as part of a company-wide safety culture,” said Taylor Boone, IDFA regulatory affairs coordinator.

    A full list of the winners is here.

    Criteria for Success

    The award program includes categories for both processing facilities and trucking operations in the dairy industry. IDFA issued a total of 34 awards; in addition to 28 Outstanding Facility safety award winners, IDFA recognized 6 companies as Most Improved Facility award winners based on significant decreases in recordable-injury cases and the rate of days away from work, restrictions and transfers (DART) for each of the last two years when compared to all other facilities that applied.

    The 2021 winners will also be featured on DairyFoods.com. IDFA will issue a call for nominations for the next Dairy Industry Safety Recognition Awards competition in early 2022. To learn more, visit our awards page on ida.org.