Trulieve Settles the Dust with OSHA Over Grinding Safety

Trulieve (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) announced it has entered into a voluntary agreement with the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that will result in additional health and safety protections for Trulieve workers and others throughout the cannabis manufacturing industry.

As part of the agreement, the original $35,219 fine against Trulieve has been reduced to $14,502, and two of the “serious” items in the citations against Trulieve were withdrawn. The withdrawn items involved having a “safety data sheet” and providing training under OSHA’s hazard communication standard. The remaining citation, which identified the standard for listing “hazardous chemicals,” was replaced with a citation about conducting a hazard analysis.

Under the agreement, Tallahassee, FL-based Trulieve will undertake a study to determine whether ground cannabis dust is required to be classified as a “hazardous chemical” in the occupational setting, according to OSHA regulations. Work on the study is to be complete by May 29, 2023. Workers throughout the industry will benefit from the steps taken by this settlement.

“We are proud of the many protections we have already put in place for our workers,” says Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve. “However, as an industry leader in what is still a relatively new manufacturing business, we want to continue to establish best practices, so our workers can have the health and safety assurances they need.”

Preventing potential allergies to cannabis dust

Pending the outcome of the study, Trulieve will design and implement a temporary information and training program that alerts employees to potential allergic reactions they might experience working with ground cannabis dust in an occupational setting. The program will include information about steps employees should take if they experience symptoms of allergies related to ground cannabis dust. Work on that program is already underway.

“Increased-scale manufacturing in our industry is a relatively new endeavor and we are determined to continually ask questions and seek answers to make our workplace the safest and healthiest it can possibly be,” sys Rivers. “We already have many protections in place, and we intend to continue our work with state and federal regulators to make sure workers are treated well. I want Trulieve to be a great place to work, and I will do everything possible to keep it that way.”

In addition, Trulieve will evaluate a series of actions that may include: Engaging a health professional to develop a program that gives workers guidance on how to manage potential health impacts resulting from potential reactions to ground cannabis dust and investigating options to better limit access and exposure to the areas where commercial grinding of cannabis occurs.