AI-Based Farm Equipment Could Boost Safety At a Cost

July 17, 2023

The rise of artificial intelligence

  • The rise of artificial intelligence for farm machinery could improve safety for agricultural workers.
  • However, this new technology could come with the loss of jobs and various challenges for workplace regulators, such as OSHA.
  • This new technology includes self-guided tractors, autonomous pesticide sprayers, and towing equipment that can decide whether a plant sprout is a viable crop or a weed.
  • OSHA rules in some states have already banned driverless tractors.
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OSHA releases medical management claims

  • OSHA recently issued medical mismanagement claims to try to prove violations of the general duty clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act Act.
  • Employers, particularly ones with onsite medical professionals, might need to take steps to defend themselves against these claims, according to Ashley Meredith Strittmatter, an attorney in Knoxville, Tennessee.
  • One responsibility of the Occupational Safety and Health Act is intended to give OSHA a means to address hazards for which no specific standard currently exists.
  • Recent situations in which OSHA used the general duty clause include the COVID-19 pandemic, heat-related illnesses, and workplace violence.
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Michigan man falls to death at Ford plant

  • A 53-year-old man fell to his death while working at the Ford Central Campus building in Dearborn, Michigan, according to the state’s Office of Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
  • The construction worker was performing fire-proofing activities on structural steel while wearing fall protection. The worker, whose name has not been released, was not tied-off to an anchorage point though.
  • The man fell about 18 feet onto a concrete floor and the incident remains under investigation at this time.
  • MiOSHA reported that this was the 16th work-related death this year, which is on pace to be a significant drop from the 43 that were reported in 2022.
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New rules for seafood processing industry

  • OSHA issued a Local Emphasis Program impacting seafood processing operations and related merchant wholesaler operations in two targeted North American Industry Classification System codes.
  • The directive only covers Region 1, which is comprised of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
  • The focus is on reducing injuries and deaths in seafood processing operations and related merchant wholesaler operations.
  • However, OSHA will not begin enforcement until September 1, 2023.
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