The Crush - August 2020 - 1

theCrush
Volume 47 Issue 8 August 2020

[ FEATURE STORY ]

Harvest Preparation and Worker Safety
COVID-19, NIGHT WORK STANDARDS ADD REQUIREMENTS FOR 2020
By Ted Rieger
Worker safety and training in preparation for grape harvest
is a top priority every year, but for 2020 it is even more
important as growers and crews implement safe practices
to prevent COVID-19 spread and exposure risks. California
agricultural employers are required to update their injury
and illness prevention program (IIPP), required under Cal/
OSHA regulations, to implement safety procedures related to
COVID-19.
COVID-19 HARVEST WORKBOOK
The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, CAWG and
Wine Institute have written the COVID-19 Harvest Protocols
Workbook, introduced during a July 7 webinar, to assist growers
in establishing guidelines and procedures to preparing for
a safe 2020 harvest. Vineyard employers are advised to read
and use the workbook that provides guidelines (based on best
available information at the time issued) in the following areas:
administrative process, hygiene, cleaning and sanitization,
physical distancing, employee wellness screening, employee
transportation, employee housing, employee training, and
communication. The workbook includes links to information and
guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the
California Department of Public Health.
The workbook, COVID-19 resources, regulatory links and CAWG
webinar recordings can be accessed through the CAWG website
(resources tab/COVID-19). Several important areas from the
workbook and the webinar are highlighted in general below.
Attorney Collin Cook, partner with California law firm Fisher
Phillips, explained during a webinar on the COVID-19
workbook that there is now a patchwork
of laws, regulations, orders and guidelines
at the federal, state and local levels that
are changing and being updated regularly.

"It is important to stay abreast of the ever changing regulatory
landscape," Cook said.
Updating the IIPP is the first order of business, as when
employers first drafted plans, they likely did not contemplate
a pandemic. The IIPP is required to provide a plan to protect
employees from workplace hazards, including infectious diseases.
Cook said the IIPP update could involve either a wholesale
revision of the existing IIPP, or it could involve creating addenda
to address COVID-19. Employers are advised to consult with their
legal counsel and human resources professionals.
The IIPP should include a plan for how to respond to a confirmed
or suspected COVID-19 case. Although it could be a challenge
to determine if a COVID-19 case is work-related, if an employee
tests positive and the illness results in missed work days, medical
treatment or death, it should be treated as a recordable illness.
Employers are required to record each injury or illness on the
Cal/OSHA Form 300 (Log of Occupational Work Related Injuries
and Illnesses) and prepare Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident
Report). The workbook includes a link to Cal/OSHA reporting
and recording requirements and forms.
The Crush - August 2020

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