Statement from Sumas farm owner regarding the latest accusations published by Guillen

In response to your inquiry, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries undertook several thorough and extensive investigations at Sarbanand Farms, LLC, in connection with Honesto Silva Ibarra’s death last summer. The agency praised the company for its cooperation and found no workplace safety or health violations.  It further concurred with the King County Medical Examiner’s Office that the worker’s death was the result of natural causes, and not related to any occupational issues. All of this was confirmed by the L&I release of Feb 1, excerpts of which are set forth below.
 
For any organization to suggest otherwise is simply false and would seem to be nothing more than a desperate attempt to mislead the public. 
 
Since the company acquired the farm in Sumas, Sarbanand Farms has made a multi-million investment to create state-of- the-art living quarters and facilities for its workers. These include sleeping, personal hygiene, dining, laundry and outdoor facilities. (link)
 
All the Munger companies take seriously their responsibilities with respect to worker safety and they are committed to the wellbeing of every one of their workers. With an ongoing goal of the companies being to comply with all laws and regulations governing the workplace, they also have comprehensive compliance programs in place. 
 
Excerpts from the L&I press release:
 

• “Safety and health investigations find no violations

 

• “L&I also conducted a simultaneous investigation into safety at the workplace, in connection with Silva Ibarra’s death. The agency understands the concerns when an unexpected death occurs, and strives to find out if it’s work-related.

 

• “An autopsy conducted by the King  County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the death was from natural causes, and not related to occupational issues. L&I shared information and discussed the case with the medical examiner.

 

• “Agency investigators interviewed members of Silva Ibarra’s work crew, a family member who was with him the day he fell ill, roommates, his wife (by telephone), and work supervisors, among others.
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• “Investigators spent three days at the worksite looking into the availability of drinking water, shade, training and restroom facilities. The agency also conducted a third investigation focused solely on pesticide use and exposure to workers. Based on the information gathered during the inspections, no workplace safety or health violations were found.”