(Wines&Vines) - An alert from the Saqui Law Group announced that the United Farm Workers (UFW) would be “fishing” for OSHA violations at California farms with a “shotgun attack” this summer. Saqui, a Roseville, Calif., firm working for employers, provided a list of agri-businesses currently targeted, which did not include any vineyards.

This does not preclude vineyard inspections later in the season, according to UFW national vice president Armando Elenes, who is based in Bakersfield. The UFW represents some 29,000 seasonal jobs in California and has “several thousand” staffers available to support them. Although currently concentrating its efforts in the “heat zone” of the state’s inland valleys, UFW maintains offices in Sonoma County and Napa County in California’s North Coast.

UFW’s current campaign concentrates on heat-related violations that could sicken, injure or even kill farmworkers. It includes written information about proper procedures and workers’ rights, direct conversation with workers who cannot read and brief questionnaires about conditions available in both English and Spanish, Elenes explained.

The questionnaire allows workers to sign up for more information and provides a variety of media for them to reach out, including Facebook. “We’ve had an amazing response through Facebook,” Elenes said. Farmworkers, who may move around frequently, also tend to have cellphones with data access and can text UFW.

Through UFW’s written and oral communication, “We’ve already filed numerous cases” of violations this year, Elenes said. The program is authorized by California’s Agriculture Labor Relations Board (ALRB), which allows UFW and other organizations to access and inspect private properties after filing the appropriate paperwork and notifying owners. Once entrance is approved, UFW has 30 days to visit the vineyards; these permits may be renewed as many as four times.

UFW must contact workers only within an hour before or after their shifts or during authorized lunch breaks. “We prefer to visit during lunchtime,” Elenes said.