Sunday, May 20, 2012

ERC Tour 2012 - Sakonnet Vineyards

We had a great start to the tour. We left UMDNJ at about 7:40 this morning, met the rest of the group at Hunter College, and headed to Sakonnet Vineyards (http://www.sakonnetwine.com) in Little Compton, RI.  On the way up, students presented an overview of Sakonnet vineyards, and the safety and health issues facing workers who work at a winery.  We started with a tour of the vineyard. Pumpkin, the Vineyard manager, demonstrated the different types of hand tools used to prune the vines. You can see some of the tools in the pictures. She provided the opportunity for everyone to ask questions about the type of work she does.

We then were met by the Vineyard owners, who provided the opportunity for a wine tasting. We tasted six different wines, which were good.

We then went through the winery, where the wine is processed from pressing to bottling. It was a great opportunity for us to learn about agricultural worker hazards, and some of the methods used to control the hazards.

At the end of the tour, many took the opportunity to purchase some of the wines we tasted. Thanks to Sakonnet Vineyards for being a great host.








6 comments:

Reyes said...

First site visit to the Sakonnet Vineyards was very good. It was great to see vineyard/winery worker hazards and how Sakonnet implemented various controls ranging from engineering and administrative controls to personal protective equipment. The presentation that was provided before the site visit also helped inform and anticipate our tour group of some of the worker hazards as well. Thanks to the hospitality the personnel of the Sakonnet Vineyards gave our tour group. Looking forward to see what is stored for the next site visits.

Noël said...

I was surprised by Earl's response that there are no inspections by FDA or any other body. He doesn't worry about anyone looking over his shoulder. He said that once BATF came but they only knew firearms so he wasn't worried. It makes you wonder about the incentive for quality and think twice before you imbibe.

Salina Peoples-Igbinoba said...

I've really enjoyed the trip thus far. The winery was super cool... hmmm.. I wonder why? lol
Funniest moment...Noel asked Earl some type of regulatory question and he said something like ..." oh boy now their going to audit me" ... so funny... Well, in this field of work I guess we have that type of an effect on people.


Salina

Aresio Souza said...

Initially, I would like to thank NIOSH and all those involved in this event with a special thanks to Dr. Rosen. This is my second year in the ERC-tour. Once again it has been a wonderful educational experience that all graduate students should dream about. This tour definitely brings us close to the reality of the occupational setting, and it complements the theoretical knowledge acquired on the university bench. Additionally, it becomes an excellent opportunity to exchange knowledge within the diversity of health and safety professionals that comes from all over the world. In our first stop at Sakonnet Vineards I had the opportunity to observe a unique set of tasks specifically to wine production (plantation-to-glass). The short talk with one of the workers clarified that often the usage of tool follows employee's personal preference, and some of them might not prefer a pneumatic tool over a traditional one. Such piece of information it is extremely valuable for me as a student of ergonomics.

Tarnima said...

The visit to Sakonnet was great. It really made me think about the different occupational hazards there are in a winery. I originally associated hazards at sakonnet with mostly agricultural hazards, however, there seems to be some heavy physical and biological hazards in the actual wine making process. Really, there is a lot you can miss if you don't see the ENTIRE process for yourself.

Jennifer Long said...

The tour at Sakonnet Vineyards was a great start for our trip. Anyone who knows me knows I love food so it was amazing actually seeing where and how wine is produced. Moreover, from it was amazing to see this from the perspective of a worker in a vineyard.