Publications
EPA Heat Stress Guide. A Guide to Heat Stress in Agriculture, is now available through Gempler's, Inc., safety products company. The 56-page illustrated manual, applying recognized heat stress management principles to agricultural conditions, was written to help pesticide applicators and agricultural employers to protect their workers from heat-induced illness. It is a complete reproduction of the official EPA version. Prices of Order No. HW77 are $3.50 each for 1 to 11 copies; $2.95 each for 12 to 24, $2.50 each for 25 to 999, and $1.95 each for more than 1,000. To order from Gempler's, phone 800/382-8473. The identical EPA version can also be purchased from the U.S. Government Printing Office at the address in the following listing.
WPS "How to Comply" Manual. The complete, official Environmental Protection Agency version of The Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides - How To Comply - What Employers Need To Know has been published by Gempler's, Inc., in its Reference Guide for EPA's Worker Protection Standard (Order No. EPA-HTC). The 156-page reference guide, printed on newsprint, also includes technical information (not from EPA) on pesticides and a product guide to Gempler's safety equipment. The first copy is free; additional copies can be ordered from Gempler's at $1.00 each for 1 to 24 down to $.35 each for 1,000 copies or more. Gempler's also offers the complete EPA "How to Comply" manual in a 144-page version (Order No. HW40) without the additional sections at $1.50 each for 1 to 11 copies, down to $.55 each for 1,000 or more. To order, phone 800/382-8473. The identical EPA version, on heavier stock, is available for $8.50 from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328.
Personal Protective Guides for Pesticide Handlers. The U.S. EPA and USDA have developed a guidance package of documents to support training of pesticide handlers under the EPA worker protection standard. Steve Sutter has assembled the complete set to assist in distribution to agricultural employers and WPS trainers. Send $3.50, payable to "County of Fresno" to Steve Sutter, Area Personnel Management Farm Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension, 1720 S. Maple Ave., Fresno, CA 93702. Write "PPE Guides" on the check margin.
Human Resources Instructor's Manual. Labor Management in Ag: Cultivating Personnel Productivity, compiled by Gregory Encina Billikopf, presents cases, role-plays, and other teaching materials contributed by labor management specialists from the United States and Canada. Subjects include selection, promotion, performance appraisal, wages and benefits, communication and supervision, training, discipline, turnover, the family farm, and labor relations. Because supplies are very limited, the manual can be sent only to those who teach or plan to teach agricultural human resource management in classes or workshops. To obtain a free copy, write on your university or consultant letterhead to Gregory at UC Cooperative Extension, 733 County Center 3, Modesto, CA 95355 or FAX (209/525-4969). A free copy of the Spanish pesticide safety teaching game, La loteria de los pesticidas, may also be requested with the book.
Labor Management on California Farms, by Howard R. Rosenberg, Jeffrey M. Perloff, and Vijaykumar S. Pradhan, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California at Berkeley. This report, submitted to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), Labor Market Information Division, describes how California farmers engage and manage the labor they need to operate their businesses. Based on a statewide survey, it discusses recruitment, hiring, supervision, communication, pay, legal compliance, and reporting practices on a broad cross-section of farms.
The EDD commissioned this study to improve understanding of the employment-related needs of farms, particularly as they may have been affected by the landmark immigration reform of 1986. A total of 924 responses received before a May 7, 1993, cutoff date were included in the analysis presented. Most survey results in the report, containing 42 pages of text and 32 pages of tables and figures, are aggregated by farm size, region, and main commodity produced. Crops are classified as animal products, nuts, grapes, tree fruit and other fruit, vegetables, nonedibles (chiefly cotton), and other (mostly grains, other edible field crops, ornamentals, and nursery products).
The findings tell of a complex industry comprising diverse production firms and relationships among them. As in their products, respondent farms exhibit much variety in their organizational and management arrangements. Human work is an essential production input that farmers may procure from not only their own employees but also external suppliers-farm labor contractors, custom harvesters, pest control operators, and independent contractors.
A 4-page summary of the report can be ordered (no charge) by writing to Rosenberg at 320 Giannini Hall, Berkeley 94720, or by calling 510/643-6359. A Spanish version of this summary will soon be available. The full report is pending clearance for publication by EDD. Copies can be requested by writing to Occupational and Special Reports Group, Labor Market Information Division, Employment Development Department, 7000 Franklin Blvd., Building 1100, Sacramento, CA 95823.
A Review of Farm Accident Data Sources and Research, BLA-125, 20 pages, by Jack L. Runyan, Agriculture and Rural Economy Division, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The study examined national sources of farm accident data and reviewed selected farm safety studies on the nature and causes of farm injuries and illnesses, health and safety of youth, farm safety education, and methods of data collection. Cost is $9 per copy. Phone 800/999-6779.
Audio Cassette
Audio cassette of safety talk for field workers, in Spanish. A concise, Cal-EPA-accepted, pesticide safety talk in Spanish is now available from Steve Sutter to help agricultural employers begin planning and implementation of field worker training in conformance with the EPA worker protection standard. To obtain the 9-minute recording with English-Spanish script, send a check for $4, payable to "County of Fresno," to UC Ag Personnel Management Program, 1720 S. Maple Ave., Fresno, CA 93702. For information, call 209/456-7560.