i have been asked to be on a panel of greenhouse growers discussing worker protection safety and handling an EPA audit. our company has been through two such audits with lots of things we needed to change. we did change and have a good relationship with the department of agriculture plant bureau.
so i have been thinking about why we have these laws to adhere to even though they are cumber-sum for the most part and nit picky for another part and sensible for the last part.
as a society we need laws and people to enforce them. industry as a whole has not had a good history of managing the work force. when we had a more rural prewar time it was different. America had a free market atmosphere people valued each other more. since the war and industrial revolution big labor rules. thus the need for worker social advocates like unions. plus humans are basically selfish and not good. its like the speed limit. or the stop sign. what you do affects someone else.
for the greenhouse industry the worker protection standard (wps) revolves around pesticide safety, proper employee notification, pesticide handler protection, etc. there is a well published list of how to comply and it better be or you will be fined.
