No one wants to be seriously worried about their physical safety — beyond the usual look-both-ways-when-you-cross caution — when they get out of their vehicle and walk to their work building.
Imagine if it was pitch black in your parking lot. It's 10 p.m. Or 4 a.m. And you are alone. Other trucks driven by fellow arriving co-workers may not see you. And what about the constant high alert women often have to be on? Under the cover of darkness, anything nefarious could happen.
Two workers at Gonzales, Calif.-based organic leafy greens grower Misionero — Araceli Miranda and Eduardo Adina — share with us on this episode of Tip of the Iceberg podcast why adding lights to the parking lot was important to employees and how they overcame the challenges of no electrical access to light all necessary areas.
This was a common request brought up by workers at several Equitable Food Initiative-certified facilities, and it can be a pretty easy project to provide safer working environments.
The episode is part of a partnership with EFI to spotlight what produce companies are doing to improve to create a transparent supply chain, a safer food system and healthier work conditions, elevating employees' voices. The methods often lead to more productive workers, better quality and more efficiency overall.