Safety in the vineyard: it's a jungle out there

Wines & Vines, August, 2005 by Jane Firstenfeld

The company also offers safety bonus programs. "In some cases, foreman and workers share a common pool of bonus prizes, which seems to build teamwork," Douglas notes.

Echoing Barrientes' warning, Douglas says, "We have concluded that we cannot have accidents entering the stream, i.e., as claims." He estimates that by the time an average claim is closed out, it would cost in the range of $50,000.

That's a lofty range for any business. To cultivate a culture of work safety, vineyard owners and managers should be aware of what's required, and what the risks are; train supervisors and vineyard workers regularly, frequently and specifically and motivate personal and team responsibility.

RELATED ARTICLE: FELS Vineyard Safety Resources

FELS carries various educational materials designed specifically for vineyard operations. FELS Ag Safety Training (FAST) programs were developed to train employees in different safety areas. Each includes a "tailgate" session with written material, handouts, illustrations, exam, audio cassettes and documents to record training sessions, in English and Spanish. Programs for general field employees, grape harvesters, forklift drivers, pruners, shop employees and tractor drivers are each $39.

"Vineyard Safety--Wine Grape Industry" is a 16-minute video covering back safety and lifting, personal protection, knife and pruner safety, machine and equipment safety and general vineyard safety issues, in English and Spanish. It's $98. See and order these and other products at fels.org.

J.F.