SUMAS, Wash. — The Department of Labor and Industries has fined Sarbanand Farms in Sumas nearly $150,000 for late or missed mealtimes and breaks, but found the farm is not at fault for a farmworker’s death in August.
L&I began several investigations after Honesto Silva Ibarra died in a Seattle hospital.
The medical examiner determined Silva Ibarra died of natural causes, unrelated to occupational issues.
L&I looked into workplace safety at Sarbanand, access to water, shade, training and restrooms, as well as pesticide use and worker exposure.
The agency also talked with workers and Silva Ibarra’s family and found no health, safety or wage violations.
In a press release a spokesperson for the farm said they are “relieved and reassured that state investigators concluded what we have known all along — that Mr. Ibarra’s death, while tragic, was not the result of the company’s actions or policies.”
Farming and farmworker advocacy groups are calling on Community 2 Community Development and others to apologize to Silva Ibarra’s family and the farm for claiming his death was “corporate murder.”
In a Facebook post, Community 2 Community says L&I’s findings do not represent reality.