Agricultural Field Worker

Job description

Field Workers to perform the following duties:
Avocados: Harvest Avocados using 28-40 ft. ladders and 9-12 ft. picking poles. Using hand clippers, clip branches and stems of avocado trees and place some avocados in picking bag. Pick up loose avocados off the ground and place in picking bags. Carry bags to bins located on roads. The avocado season is from March through September, depending on the amount of fruit and weather.
Citrus: Harvest citrus using ladders, hand clippers and a picking bag. The worker will clip or pull citrus, depending on the type of pick and will place inside the picking bag. Carry the bags to the bin located on roads. The citrus season is from March through October. Valencia Orange season is from April to October. Grapefruit season is from March to August. Kumquats season is from March to June.
Sweet lime picking: Harvest sweet lime using ladders, hand clippers and a picking bag. The worker will clip or pull the sweet lime, depending on the type of pick and will place inside the picking bag. Carry the bags to the bin located on roads. Sweet Lime season is from March to August.
Field workers will also do grove maintenance including pruning, fertilizing, land clearing. Workers will also pack citrus and avocados.

The pruning will be done with either hand clippers or with an extension pole with a clipper on the end. As pruning will be done in a standing position, the workers will not be using the clippers in a stooped, kneeling, or squatting position.
Pruning tasks are intermittent and will not exceed more than 20% of the workers’ scheduled hours.
Land clearing will be done with either a long handled hoe (4 feet or longer) or a 22 inch machete. The workers will be in a standing position.
Some land clearing will be done by hand by moving trees that have been knocked down and cut into pieces; this tasks requires the go from a standing to squatting position throughout the day. This task will be intermittent and will not exceed more than 20% of the workers’ scheduled hours.
Serrato and Son assures that it will abide by rest period requirements in accordance with 8 Cal. Code Regulations 3456(c)(4). Employer assures it will provide gloves, any tools needed, and training in prevention of work-related injuries, at no cost to workers.

Avocado and Citrus Packing will consist of grading, packing and stacking fruit into boxes and onto pallets. The work will be done from a standing position. They will not require any tools for this job. This task will be intermittent and will not exceed more than 20% of the workers scheduled hours

Special Requirements

Minimum Job Qualifications: Workers must be able to lift 60-90 lbs frequently. Cannot be color blind due to the need to distinguish colors of crops. Must be able to use hand clippers and work on high ladders on hillsides. Must be able to carry ladders and cannot be afraid of heights. No smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the housing or in fields/groves.
Work is performed outdoors in open fields and can involve exposure to sun, wind, mud, dust, heat, cold and other elements of the normal outdoor grove environment. Temperatures can range from 20 degrees F to over 100 degrees F during the period of employment. Workers should come prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear for the work and working conditions described.
This work may entail exposure to plant pollens, insects and noxious plants, and to fields and plant materials which have been treated with insect and/or disease control sprays.