OSHA: BAN HAND-WEEDING WORKERS CHEER STATE'S TEMPORARY HALT.Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer Farmworker advocates proclaimed a victory Thursday as California became the first U.S. state A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States, although four states use the official title "commonwealth". The separate state governments and the federal government share sovereignty, in that an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and to ban hand weeding of most agricultural crops, a practice that can lead to crippling back injuries. The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved the temporary ban on hand-weeding, which will take effect within two weeks. A permanent restriction could take as long as a year to put in place. Even as advocates hailed the ban, growers associations said exemptions in the rules will allow hand weeding of many local crops, including strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower cauliflower (kô`lĭflou'ər, käl`ĭ–), variety of cabbage, with an edible head of condensed flowers and flower stems. Broccoli is the horticultural variety (botrytis); both were cultivated in Roman times. and celery. ``I don't think it's going to have a significant impact on our growers,'' said Rob Roy Rob Roy [Scottish Gaelic,=red Rob], 1671–1734, Scottish freebooter, whose real name was Robert MacGregor. He is remembered chiefly as he figures in Sir Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy (1818). , president and general counsel of the Ventura County Agricultural Association, which represents more than 180 area growers. ``All it's going to do is get rid of unnecessary hand weeding. I don't believe that growers do unnecessary hand weeding now.'' Hand weeding of row crops like broccoli and cauliflower is the kind of unnecessary labor the new regulations are meant to target, said Mike Meuter, an attorney for the California Rural Legal Assistance Not to be confused with California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit legal and political advocacy group that promotes the interests of migrant laborers and the rural poor. , an advocacy group that pressed for the ban. The regulations, which California's $28 billion agriculture industry fought against, will help to protect the state's 1 million farmworkers, he said. ``We think it will have a significant impact,'' Meuter said. ``It's evidenced by the vigorous effort made by growers, up until today, to fight and derail de·rail intr. & tr.v. de·railed, de·rail·ing, de·rails 1. To run or cause to run off the rails. 2. this standard.'' Growers of row crops will have a difficult time proving that their plants can't be weeded with long-handled tools, Meuter said. Producers of strawberries, which are grown under plastic tarps, may be exempt from the ban, he said. Farmworkers and growers have been battling over the practice of hand weeding for nearly three decades. In 1975, California banned a short-handled hoe hoe, usually a flat blade, variously shaped, set in a long wooden handle and used primarily for weeding and for loosening the soil. It was the first distinctly agricultural implement. The earliest hoes were forked sticks. that forced workers to stoop for hours as they weeded crops. Despite the ban, the practice of hand weeding remained widespread. The state's Occupational Health and Safety office found in 1993 that prolonged hand-weeding created the same debilitating de·bil·i·tat·ing adj. Causing a loss of strength or energy. Debilitating Weakening, or reducing the strength of. Mentioned in: Stress Reduction back injuries caused by the short hoe. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Andrea Cavanaugh, (818) 713-3669 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Field workers pick weeds from baby lettuce in Salinas Salinas, city, United States Salinas (səlē`nəs), city (1990 pop. 108,777), seat of Monterey co., W Calif.; inc. 1874. It is the shipping and processing center of a fertile valley famous for its grain and lettuce. . The state has become the first to ban hand-weeding of agricultural crops. The temporary ban is expected to take effect withing two weeks. Paul Sakuma/Associated Press |
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