Harvest Night Safety

​Harvest night work presents a unique set of hazards that can be avoided by proper planning, training, monitoring and hazard correction.

​When agricultural work is conducted outdoors during hours of darkness, employees face hazards due to a decrease in their ability to see, as well as be seen by others, including those operating mobile agricultural equipment and
vehicles.

Two Cal/OSHA standards address these hazards. California Code of Regulations, title 8, section 3449 sets requirements to prevent employee exposure to hazards during agricultural operations at night. Section 3441(g)has been revised to require headlights on trucks.

Employers with outdoor agricultural operations taking place between sunset and sunrise must comply with the requirements of section 3449. Agricultural employers using tractors, selfpropelled farm equipment, and trucks between
sunset and sunrise must comply with the revision to section 3441(g) regarding headlights.

What are the requirements of the standards?
- Lighting  - 3444(a) 
Different work operations have different lighting requirements. These lighting levels are listed in Cal/Osha Nighttime Outdoor Agricultural Operations Fact Sheet below. Employers can meet the lighting requirements in a variety of ways, such as vehicle-mounted lights, portable lights, head lamps, or any combination.

- Safety Meetings - 3449(b)
Supervisors must conduct a safety meeting at the beginning of each shift to inform workers of the location of the restrooms, drinking water, break areas, nearby bodies of water, and high traffic areas.

- Class 2 High - Visibility Garments - 3449(c)
The employer must provide and require workers to wear Class 2 high-visibility garments. These garments help vehicle operators see workers at night.

- Headlights and Tailights - 3441(g) 
All tractors, self-propelled farm equipment, and trucks operating at night must have at least one headlight and one rear light.
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Source: Cal/Osha Nighttime Outdoor Agricultural Operations Fact Sheet
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