The Growers Company, Inc. to Pay a $125,194 Penalty for Exposing Employees to Pesticides

 

SALINAS, California – Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on November 10

that her Environmental Protection Unit resolved a case against The Growers Company, Inc.

(“Growers”) for violations of pesticide-related laws, which exposed its employees to pesticides.

Specifically, on October 9, 2023, a supervisor for Growers ignored pesticide warning signs on a

lettuce field and ordered his crew of 93 fieldworkers into a field that had been treated with various

pesticides not 24 hours prior. One such pesticide, Sivanto Prime, had a 24-hour restricted entry

interval during which no one was allowed to enter the field. 66 of the fieldworkers developed

symptoms consistent with exposure to pesticides, including nausea, dizziness, headache, and

irritation to the throat, nose, eyes, and skin. Moreover, despite legal requirements to take all

exposed employees to a physician for medical care, Growers only took 34 of the exposed

employees to a physician for evaluation.

The judgment requires Growers to pay a $125,194 in civil penalties and costs and includes

injunctive terms prohibiting them from violating these requirements in the future.

A felony criminal charge was also filed against the Growers’ supervisor who ordered the employees

into the field, but he has since passed away.

The Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office investigated this incident and referred

the case to the District Attorney’s Office as a “priority investigation,” pursuant to 3 CCR section

6128, subdivision (e), because the incident caused over five persons to become ill. District Attorney

Investigator George Costa assisted in the District Attorney’s investigation. The Growers Company

cooperated with the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office during

its investigation.