Worker safety is important to every farmer and labor contractor, and violations of labor laws can be expensive in California.

Amy Wolfe, executive director AgSafe, said CalOSHA issued 1,100 citations last year for ag labor violations and levied $1.1 million in fines.

Wolfe told the Sustainability Expo in Monterey, Calif., that many violations are avoidable, if labor laws are followed. AgSafe works to help employers stick to those rules.

AgSafe is a nonprofit organization comprised of individuals, associations and businesses with the shared mission of preventing injuries, illness and fatalities among those working in agriculture. AgSafe’s purpose is to give employers the tools needed to keep employees safe and healthy while continuing to run a profitable, successful business.

AgSafe organizes and promotes educational activities, conferences, regional meetings, applied research, and the collection, interpretation and dissemination of agricultural health, safety and human resource information to enhance the effectiveness of the agricultural safety professional.

Its biggest event of the year is the organization’s annual conference, scheduled for Feb. 22-25 next year at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Spa on the Old Del Monte Golf Course, Monterey, Calif.

For the Sustainable Expo audience, Wolfe identified what she called the seven safety sins in violations of ag labor laws.