News Release No.: 2018-02 Date: January 4, 2018
Cal/OSHA Issues Citations Following Fatal Bee Attack on Tree Worker
San Bernardino—Cal/OSHA has issued citations to Hadley Date Gardens Inc. of Thermal for serious workplace safety and health violations following a bee swarm that stung and killed a tree worker. The incident serves as a reminder that employers must protect tree workers from these types of hazards.
On July 3, 2017, a tree worker was spraying water on date palm fruit from the elevated bucket of a spraying rig when a beehive was disturbed. The bees repeatedly stung the worker, who suffered anaphylactic shock and died at the site.
“Recognized workplace hazards for tree workers include bee and other harmful insect exposure,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum. “Employers must identify and evaluate workplace hazards, and provide appropriate personal protective equipment and effective training to their workers.”
Cal/OSHA issued four citations totaling $41,310 in proposed penalties for workplace safety and health violations, two of which were classified as serious accident-related. Hadley Date Gardens, Inc. failed to evaluate the worksite for hazardous bee and insect exposure, and failed to establish appropriate safety protocols, which include providing appropriate personal protective equipment and training that could have prevented this incident.
Cal/OSHA’s Tree Work Safety guidelines specifically cite bee stings as a potentially fatal hazard of which employers must be aware.
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Our thoughts go out to the tree worker whose life was lost to this unfortunate incident.
Be sure to train your employees on tree worker safety. These types of courses should cover general tree safety guidelines and environmental hazards. Environmental hazards should include heat/cold stress, poisonous plants and insect bites.
Click here to view our course outline.
Please help us congratulate our 2017 "Safety Champion Award" honorees - Alliance of Schools for Cooperative Insurance Programs (ASCIP), Irvine Ranch Water District, and the Honda Center.
Every year we honor a selected few clients in recognition of their commitment to workforce safety.
We thank this year's honorees and everyone else who make safety their #1 priority at their workplace!
New Trilateral Business Partnership Raises Safety Standards And Lowers Costs
ehs International, Inc. (ehsInc) has partnered with Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) and Aramsco-Interlink (Aramsco). The goal of this partnership between three leaders of their respective industries is to provide client companies and future members with the best in indoor air quality safety standards while also lowering costs. In both the short-term and the long-term, such a productive alliance will be a win-win for all involved.
Established in 1995, the Indoor Air Quality Association is dedicated to bringing practitioners together to prevent and solve indoor environmental problems. As part of its ongoing mission, IAQA has teamed with two industry leaders to expand their reach and lower costs for its members.
The first IAQA partner is ehs International, Inc. Experiencing a senseless childhood workplace tragedy where loved ones were lost, Marjorie Del Toro, President-Founder, turned her tragedy into a future solution by creating ehsInc, a company that encompasses training, prevention, and regulatory compliance. Standing for environmental, health and safety, ehsInc has provided customers and their employees with safe and sustainable work environments.
The ehsInc team consists of Certified Industrial Hygienists, Certified Safety Professionals and Construction Health and Safety Technicians. They have the experience and the expertise to achieve OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulatory standards compliance. As the hands-on presence, ehsInc will provide member companies OSHA regulatory safety sessions and training at 29 locations across the country. Moreover, the business partnership will expand its footprint across Canada.
With preferred rates for the partnership, Aramsco-Interlink is an ideal second partner as a leading supplier of goods and services to contractors, including environmental safety and disaster response teams. Aramsco will work with ehsInc to provide customers nationwide with service expertise, quality products, and reliable delivery options.
In light of this new trilateral partnership, IAQA, Aramsco, and ehsInc have one goal in mind that transcends membership numbers and costs. The ultimate goal is to improve safety standards and continue with ehsInc's mission of "Protecting Our Workforce For Future Generations." Together, the three companies will help bring employees home safely through regulatory compliance, safety training, and the prevention of unsafe indoor environmental conditions complemented with superior supplies.
By offering a comprehensive package of safety options with preferred rates for client companies, this new business partnership between IAQA, ehsInc, and Aramsco is destined for success.
ehsInc is helping change lives one student at a time. One AGC-CA CEF student member in particular, Linda Tran, recently received a scholarship we helped sponsor.
We are truly honored to have been able to contribute to the Associated General Contractor's of California Construction Education Foundation scholarships.
Here is an excerpt of what Ms. Tran had to say about receiving the scholarship.
Dear ehsInc:
I am honored to be one of the recipients of the AGC-CA CEF Scholarship sponsored by ehsInc. Thanks to your generous support I am the first generation in my family to be able to go to college.
Growing up in a less privileged community has not only offered financial and academic challenges, but has also helped me realize the value of a higher education.
Sincerely,
Linda Tran
Vice President
Sacramento State AGC-CA Student Chapter
