Altria Expands Efforts for Worker Safety

Source from:  Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch 04/14/2010

Altria Group Inc. is expanding efforts to improve worker safety on tobacco fields and barns to include onsite visits by outside monitors to contract growers' farms this year. Henrico County-based Altria modified grower contracts this year to enhance worker safety, including provisions to protect farmworkers from Green Tobacco Sickness -- an acute poisoning that occurs when a person's skin absorbs nicotine after touching tobacco plants, the company disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Growers risk having tobacco rejected for purchase, or even losing their contracts to supply tobacco, if they don't adhere to conditions on worker safety. This year, Altria will begin having an outside third party assess its worker safety efforts. Altria said it has been monitoring growers to see how well they do in providing protective equipment, training, health care and housing to farm workers. The company outlined its efforts on farm safety in response to a stockholders' proposal calling on it to comply with codes governing farm workers' rights and to independently verify what its suppliers are doing. Enditem