New Produce Safety Program inspection team for 2022

 Connie Fisk, Produce Safety Program Manager

In partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the WSDA Produce Safety Program promotes understanding of and compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. 

The inspection team plays a vital role in the program’s success by conducting inspections of farms and packing houses to verify compliance with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, and educating Washington producers to identify and mitigate produce safety risks.

The program has added several new inspection team members in 2022. Read on to learn about their professional experience and outside interests.

Jerrid Higgins has been with the program since May 2018 as a produce safety field inspector, but he stepped into the inspection supervisor role on March 1. In addition to inspecting covered farms, he serves as a conduit of information between the FDA and inspectors. And continues to develop and implement our compliance and enforcement program.

Jerrid has a background in horticulture, vineyard, and tree fruit work. He graduated from University of California-Davis in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and food systems. He earned a master’s degree in sociology from Washington State University (WSU), with emphasis on local food system development. He is a subject matter exert in biological soil amendments of animal origin.

Outside of work, Jerrid enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife, son and two dogs.

Leah Grewal joined WSDA in March as our new inspection administrative coordinator. She is the inspection team’s front line of communication with farms covered by the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. She also manages the database containing our farm inventory and details from each farm inspection.

Leah began her career with the state in 2013 with the Washington State Patrol, where she enjoyed the opportunity to support troopers and build an awesome team of secretaries. Leah has a Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management that she hopes to apply to her work with WSDA.

Leah lives on acreage in Snohomish County, which she hopes to turn into a farm. She enjoys spending time with her three young children and husband.

Thane Tupper joined the program in April as a produce safety field inspector in Eastern Washington where the majority of the state’s tree fruit and onion farms, and packing houses are located.

Thane’s previous position with WSDA was as an agricultural commodity inspector in Grant and Adams counties. Before joining WSDA, he gained in-depth knowledge and experience in large-scale production, packaging, and facility sanitation in the brewing industry. Thane previously owned and operated a company specializing in avian pest control for agricultural crops using falconry-based methods to mitigate crop loss and damage. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in environmental policy and management concentrated in natural resource management.

In his personal time, Thane is an avid outdoorsman, spending is time hunting, fishing, practicing falconry, and exploring the shrub steppe of Central Washington.

Travis Alexander joined the program in April as a produce safety field inspector in Western Washington. Much of the state’s berry production and packing occurs in the northwest corner of the state.

Travis's professional background includes a postdoctoral fellowship in horticulture at WSU and five years of teaching experience (food science, horticulture, and general biology) at several community colleges in the Pacific Northwest. He is a subject matter expert in biological soil amendments of animal origin and postharvest handling and sanitation. 

Travis speaks English and Spanish, enjoys working with individuals of diverse backgrounds, and loves to write. His hobbies include garden railroading and baking.

In summary: The WSDA Produce Safety Program promotes understanding of and compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. The inspection team plays a vital role in the program’s success and several new team members have been added in 2022. Read this Insider blog post to learn about their professional experience and outside interests. 

Intranet survey results offer initial input for new site

 Kathy Davis, Communications

As the agency’s project team tasked with creating a new WSDA intranet website for employees works through technical issues, they are also reaching out to staff, gathering input about the most important features and topics to build into a new site. 

To that end, the team encouraged all agency employees to complete a survey last month seeking input, and 141 (19%) WSDA employees responded. 

Most respondents indicated they had no difficulty accessing the site. Only three said it was too difficult to access or that it does not work on mobile devices. Although the survey was open to all employees, it may be that staff who are unfamiliar with the agency’s intranet, or those who do not access it due to network or other issues, did not take this survey. 

The project team plans to do more research into employee preferences, and will soon organize a series of focus groups to gain insight beyond the survey results. In particular, the team wants to know what would draw current non-users to the site and make it valuable to them. 

Results by the numbers

One-quarter of the survey respondents said they looked at the intranet every day, and 61% said they did so regularly. Just under a quarter said they seldom or never looked at the site. 

More than three-quarters (76%) said they used intranet resources either daily or regularly. 

Among the list of site resources currently featured on the homepage, these were the top ones survey respondents said they used most:

1. Forms and Publication (76%)
2. Human Resources (61%)
3. Policies and Procedures (58%)
4. Contacts and Org Charts (46%)
5. Information Technology (39%)
6. Travel (37%)
7. Divisions and Programs (37%)
8. Payroll (28%)

When asked to choose the top five resources they would likely use on a new intranet site, the results largely mirrored current usage. Forms, Human Resources, Policies and Procedures, IT, Contacts, and Travel topped the list. 

More than one-third (37%) said they currently use division (and program) pages on the intranet. The number of respondents who checked a “programs under X division” box as likely to use in the future ranged as follows:

• Food Safety – 19
• Commodity Inspection – 11
• Pesticide Management – 9
• Plant Protection – 5
• Animal Services – 1  

The primary barrier respondents cited to using the intranet was that information is too difficult to find, followed by information being out of date and not relevant to “me or my work.” 

Support was high for making improvements to the site. For instance, nearly three-quarters of respondents requested keeping information up to date. Ease of finding info (70%) and navigation (58%), as well as a search function (65%), were also top requests. 

In the comments, survey respondents reinforced many of the question choices. Several comments expressed frustration with confusing navigation and content being outdated. 

In general, these survey results point to making a new site: 

• Easier to navigate and search. 
• Featuring certain topics most prominently.
• Keeping all content current. 

If you have questions about the survey or additional input about a new intranet, send comments to Kathy Davis, internal communications coordinator.

To learn more about the intranet rebuild project, see earlier blog post titled “New agency intranet website being planned.”

In summary: As the agency’s project team tasked with creating a new WSDA intranet website for employees works through technical issues, they are also reaching out to staff, gathering input about the most important features and topics to build into a new site. To that end, the team encouraged all agency employees to complete a survey last month seeking input. Read about the survey results and next steps in this Insider blog post. 

Defensive driving reduces personal and financial costs

 Jason Gambill, Safety Program

More WSDA staff are traveling again than they have in the past two years. And more drivers in general are back out on the road. 

With travel come risks. In 2021, WSDA employees were involved in 13 car accidents or near misses. The individual costs of such incidents involve possible injury, as well as the stress and time spent dealing with the response. 

They are also expensive for WSDA. Those vehicle accidents in 2021 cost the agency $26,246.  

We are covered by a self-insurance policy that is set aside for third-party indemnity payouts. Because we do not carry commercial insurance, accident repair costs come from division and program budgets. 

Be on the defensive

Only you can control your own vehicle. We can’t predict what others around you will do. But you can drive defensively, which means being alert and prepared to react to other drivers. 

Follow these best practices when you’re getting behind the wheel:

• Allow yourself plenty of time to get to your destination; rushing increases risk.
• Eliminate distractions while driving, such as being on a cell phone, eating, or adjusting settings on the dashboard.
• Allow at least 3-4 seconds of reaction time between you and the vehicle in front of you.
• Be courteous to and cautious of other drivers. Even those who aren’t driving safely; give them plenty of space. 
• Have a plan for an alternate route, in case of an accident or roadway closure in your path.
• Be aware of and prepared for the road conditions during inclement weather.

This year, the Safety Program has partnered with other agency programs to test out several backup cameras to see if these can make a difference in reducing vehicle accidents. 

State vehicle after crash, 2018.

If you travel for work, become educated with the basics of defensive driving. The Department of Enterprise Services offers safe driving videos and a defensive driving training course for state employees.  

Defensivedriving.org, which aims to save drivers money on vehicle insurance through safe practices, offer 10 key defensive driving techniques. 

In summary: More WSDA staff are traveling again than they have in the past two years. And more drivers in general are back out on the road. With travel come risks. Only you can control your own vehicle. We can’t predict what others around you will do. But you can drive defensively, which means being alert and prepared to react to other drivers. Learn more in this Insider blog post. 

Short-session budget supports WSDA activities

Kathy Davis, Communications

The Washington State Legislature finished their 60-day session on March 10. During this short-session year, lawmakers approved a supplemental budget that adjusts the state’s two-year operating budget to address new developments and needs. The budget bill still needs the governor’s signature to become law. 

In the approved supplemental budget, WSDA received $103.8 million in additional funding for agency activities. 

The Legislature included funding to provide state employees with a general wage increase of 3.25% starting July 1, 2022. 

Below are some highlights from the budget bill. Some amounts represent one-time only funds, while others are ongoing. 

Food assistance - $58 million to implement a state program of providing farmers-to-families food boxes, and $17.6 million for capacity grants to support emergency food system operations, such as equipment, building maintenance, and staffing. 

Invasive pest eradications - $5.4 million to eradicate the Japanese beetle detected in the Grandview area, $964,000 to eradicate the newly named “spongy” moth, and $170,000 to detect and eradicate the spotted lanternfly. 

WSDA received additional funds for the 
"We Feed WA" food box program. Contractors
source and stock boxes based on the unique needs
of the community being served.

Cannabis - $790,000 to a policy bill that creates a multi-agency task force for cannabis lab standards and requires WSDA to establish quality lab testing standards by rule, and $200,000 for rulemaking for a voluntary cannabis certification program consistent with the existing Organic Program. 

Emergency management - $732,000 for emergency response efforts for the agricultural industry and food safety. 

HEAL Act - $656,000 to support environmental justice assessments, community engagement and other requirements of the HEAL Act. 

Organic materials management - $301,000 for WSDA to develop a program to reimburse farmers for the costs of using compost not generated by the farm. 

Regional markets - $250,000 to support local and regional markets and develop agricultural infrastructure in southwest Washington. 

Pollinator health - $252,000 for a citizen science project to better understand the geographic distribution of bee species across the state. 

Pretty but destructive, the Japanese
beetle is a highly invasive pest that poses
a serious threat to agriculture. 

The budget also included $2.2 million to reverse the savings taken in the 2021-23 operating budget for vacancy management and agency overhead. 

The agency’s spending authority was increased by $3.8 million for an anticipated increase in federal funds for the Specialty Crop Block Grants Program. 

Other WSDA activities that received increased funds include the electric vehicle charging stations law, hemp task force and commission, wolf-livestock conflict grants, and the food and farm finder grant. 

To review the full list of supplemental budget changes and exact dollar amounts, go to the summary on the LEAP (Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program) website. WSDA details begin on page 473.  

In summary: The Washington State Legislature finished their 60-day session on March 10. During this short-session year, lawmakers approved a supplemental budget that adjusts the state’s two-year operating budget to address new developments and needs. WSDA received $103.8 million from the Legislature in additional funding for agency activities. Read about the highlights in this Insider blog post.  

Injury prevention goal of F&V ergonomic pallet pilot

Robert Ambriz, Safety Officer

Maria Valle, F&V regional manager, checking
out the new ergonomic pallet. 

Keeping close watch on accident trends at WSDA, our Safety Program noted a particular risk from overexertion. Specifically, workers with the Fruit and Vegetable (F&V) Inspection Program tend to reach, bend and lift in ways that have the potential to cause injury. 

Thinking of innovative ways to address the problem, our team proposed trying an ergonomic pallet that would require less physical strain. The F&V and Safety programs launched a pilot project on Jan. 3 by purchasing and installing an ergo pallet in an onion packing facility in Pasco. 

The industrial, spring-loaded pallet has a carousel that can be raised or lowered as packages are removed or added. The 360-degree access allows operators to load or unload without reaching. Fork pockets allow fork lifts to easily relocate material that may weigh up to 4,500 pounds.

F&V regional managers Maria Valle and Robert Newell worked with the Safety Program and their customers to have the pallet installed in Easterday Farms’ onion facility. 

Easterday’s production manager, Jaime Rosales, reported that the pallet does not interfere with the production, it takes up the same space as regular pallets, and is easy to move. 

F&V supervisor Art Rodriquez

I joined Maria and Robert, as well as supervisors Artemio (Art) Rodriquez and David Ryan, to see the pallet in operation on Jan. 27. Art and David noted that managers and supervisors like the pallet and hope more can be added in the future. 

F&V inspector Jeffery Stiles told us, “Overall I think the pallet lift works well. It's kept the samples at a good height. My only issues are pretty minor overall. I could see these being useful and appreciated by inspectors if they were installed more widely.”

In summary: The Fruit and Vegetable Inspection and Safety programs launched a pilot project on Jan. 3 by purchasing and installing an ergonomic pallet in an onion packing facility in Pasco. The industrial, spring-loaded pallet has a carousel that can be raised or lowered as packages are removed or added. Learn more in this post on the Insider.   

Physical conditioning and driving ergonomics trainings coming up

 Kathy Davis, Communications

Pest Program trapper Kathleen Patton working in a
state vehicle in 2016. 

In two upcoming trainings, WSDA employees can get support to regain lost body strength and capacity, as well as learn best ergonomic practices for driving. 

Agency staff have cited ergonomics as their top safety concern in the annual Safety Survey for the past two years. 

In response, WSDA Enterprise Risk Management Services (ERMS) contracted with ErgoFit Consulting Inc., a Seattle-based company that aims to reduce injuries and enhance employees’ health, performance and productivity through assessment and education. 

March 8, 1-2 pm - General Conditioning Program

Two years of COVID-19 disruption has caused many employees to reduce physical activity either from more sedentary work-at-home conditions or less frequent field work. In addition, injured workers may lose physical capacity for their job demands due to time off. 

ERMS and ErgoFit will offer this program to counteract physical deconditioning. 

Building, or reconditioning, strength and endurance focuses on physical work and life activities such as moving, bending, reaching, grasping, lifting, walking, and standing. ErgoFit offers general overall conditioning of basic muscle groups, common movement patterns, and endurance for walking and standing.

The program includes an introductory manual explaining the purpose of the program and guidance on how to progress through the conditioning program. 

Videos cover each activity and level. The trainer will do a live walkthrough of each video, and these will be available on the WSDA ErgoFit intranet webpage for staff to view at a later time.

The trainer Karen Wollgast has more than 20 years of experience in workplace wellness, safety, and ergonomic programming. 

April 5, 1 - 2 p.m. - Field Staff Ergonomic Driving Tips Training 

Many WSDA staff spend a lot of time behind the wheel of a vehicle, driving to inspection sites or other job requirements. For instance, seasonal pest trappers primarily drive from trap to trap, getting in and out of their vehicles many times a day.

Spending long hours sitting in the driver’s seat can strain joints and muscles as much as sitting at a desk all day. To address these risks to employees’ health and safety, ErgoFit will also present this training webinar offering ergonomic driving tips. 

The presentation will cover best practices such as how to safety get into and out of your vehicle, “cockpit” adjustments (seat, steering column, hand placement), moving equipment in and out, and working on mobile devices inside a vehicle. 

The trainer Deborah Read is as occupational therapist, and president of ErgoFit Consulting, Inc. 

In summary: In two upcoming trainings, WSDA employees can get support to regain lost body strength and capacity, as well as learn best ergonomic practices for driving. WSDA Enterprise Risk Management Services (ERMS) has contracted with ErgoFit Consulting Inc., a Seattle-based company that aims to reduce injuries and enhance employees’ health, performance and productivity through assessment and education. Learn about new training opportunities for all agency staff in this Insider blog post.  

New agency intranet website being planned

Hector Castro, Communications Director 

Inside Agriculture, the intranet website for WSDA employees, is overdue for an overhaul. The existing intranet is more than 20 years old and, though the homepage received a facelift a few years ago, it is operating on an older, outmoded framework.

This year the agency is tackling this problem by planning to build a new site with the system called Kentico, which is the same tool we use for our public website. 

While the agency will use the same tools for both websites, a new intranet need not mirror the layout and look of our public website. 

Decisions about the layout and navigation will be based on input from WSDA employees around what will be most useful for an agency intranet site. 

In the coming weeks, the project team will send a survey to all agency staff aimed at gathering feedback about what you consider the most important features and topics to build into a new intranet. 

Same content management system

One thing that will be the same for both internal and external websites is how webpages are managed, and content is created and updated.

Our current intranet uses a tool called Expressions that is difficult to maintain. This obsolete software is no longer supported by its manufacturer. Only a handful of agency staff have the software and know how to use it to update intranet content. 

Training to use the Kentico system is already available, and more than 80 WSDA employees are now familiar with using this tool. Using Kentico will make it much easier for programs to keep intranet content current and useful to staff. 

Along with me (Hector Castro), the intranet project team consists of Tim Valdez and Kathy Davis from the Communications Office; Susie Olson, Curt Secker, and Harold Boggs from IT; and Kristin Rondeau and Vicky Graham from the Performance and Planning Office. 

We have not yet set a launch date for a new site, but expect the work to take most of 2022. Our goal is to create a new WSDA intranet that serves staff needs and makes their jobs easier. 

In summary: Inside Agriculture, the intranet website for WSDA employees, is overdue for an overhaul. The existing intranet is more than 20 years old and, though the homepage received a facelift a few years ago, it is operating on an older, outmoded platform. In the coming weeks, the project team will send a survey to all agency staff aimed at gathering feedback about what you consider the most important features and topics to build into a new intranet.