Last week, AEM hosted members of the California Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board (OSHSB), Cal/OSHA agency staff and Katrina Hagen from the California Department of Industrial Relations for a tour of member company exhibits featuring the latest in agricultural autonomy at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California.

Naio Technologies, Monarch Tractors, bluewhite, TEVEL, AGCO, GUSS and VINERGY showcased their autonomy advances while leading conversations that highlighted their products redundant safety systems and their Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA) process.

“We appreciate Cal/OSHA’s willingness to spend a day with AEM to learn,” said AEM Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs Nick Tindall. “They came with open minds and a lot of questions. Their participation illustrates their dedication to getting this issue right.”

California regulations restrict the deployment of autonomous machines on farming operations. This tour was the latest step in educating Cal/OSHA on the current state of the technology as we work toward a regulatory environment that will foster innovation. The spectrum of autonomation and autonomy solutions address challenges to safety, health, and sustainability while making agricultural jobs more attractive to a new generation of workers.   

For more information on this issue, contact AEM's Nick Tindall at ntindall@aem.org or AEM Director of Product Stewardship Jeff Jurgens at jjurgens@aem.org.

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