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Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (Last Updated: June 14,2023) |
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Title22 Agriculture. Domestic Animals |
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SubTitle22-17a-1_22-17a-12. Living Quarters of Agricultural Workers and Migratory Farm Workers |
| Sec. 22-17a-1. Water supplies and privies for field workers |
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(a) Water shall be readily available to both shed and field workers in covered containers with sanitary drinking fountains or with individual paper cups in accordance with section 19-13-B35 of the public health code. (b) Water for drinking and handwashing shall be obtained from a public water supply or from a properly protected and located ground water supply approved by the local director of health. (c) No common drinking cup shall be permitted. (d) Handwashing facilities shall be available for shed and field workers. (e) Water containers shall be cleaned daily. At the start of the season and at other times when necessary, water barrels or other water containers shall be disinfected with steam or chlorine. The plug for filling the hole shall be kept tightly in place, except during the time for filling. (It is desirable to chain the plug to the barrel to avoid losing it.) (f) A sanitary method of filling water barrels shall be provided. Overhead hoses shall be short enough so that they will swing clear of ground surface. Flange guards should be provided for the hose so that it will not enter more than four inches into water barrels. (g) Portable or permanent privies shall be provided in adequate numbers and shall be readily accessible to all workers. (h) Separate privies shall be provided for men and women and shall be so arranged as to secure privacy for both sexes and shall be clearly marked "Men" and "Women" at the entrance to each. These words shall be printed or painted on signs not less than six by eighteen inches. (i) Privies shall be provided with inside hook and eye latches and toilet tissue. (j) Privies shall be located at least one hundred feet from kitchen and dining rooms, living quarters or the source of the water supply. (k) Privies shall be of fly and vermin-proof construction and shall consist of a pit at least three feet deep and constructed so as to exclude surface water. Cracks shall be battened and openings shall be screened with sixteen mesh wire screening. The door shall be well fitted to exclude flies and shall close automatically by means of a spring or spring hinges. Seat covers shall be hinged and shall be so constructed that they drop automatically into place when the seat is not occupied. (l) Privies shall be adequately lighted and ventilated. (m) No privy pit shall be filled with excreta to nearer than one foot from the surface of the ground. When this occurs, privies shall be moved or vaults cleaned out. The hole shall be filled up when privies are moved. Material removed from a privy or vaults or containers shall be disposed of by burial in such a manner as not to create a nuisance. (n) Privies shall be maintained in clean condition and such maintenance shall include daily washing of seats with a disinfectant solution. (Use of earth, ashes or lime in the pits will help to keep down odors.) (See 1961 Supp. § 19-13; Reg. 19-13-B53.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-2. First aid kits for field workers |
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Standard first aid kits shall be kept in every shed where work is going on and shall be readily available to all workers. (See Reg. 19-13-B54.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-3. Sanitary requirements for housing of workers |
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(a) Housing shall be constructed in such a manner as to be structurally safe, adequate in size and reasonably easy to keep clean.* * It is important that the provisions of the state statutes relating to fire prevention and safety and all regulations made pursuant thereto be complied with. (b) For new construction, the window area of each room for living quarters, sleeping quarters, preparation of food or mess halls should be at least one-eighth of the floor area and so constructed that at least one-half of the window area may be opened for ventilation. When existing buildings are converted for housing purposes, window area and ventilation shall conform as nearly as possible to the above, but in any case shall meet with approval of the local director of health. (c) All exterior openings shall be screened with sixteen mesh wire screening on frames except where self-closing devices on doors are maintained in service. (d) Artificial lighting shall be provided on the basis of one forty watt bulb per one hundred square feet of the floor area and shall be reasonably well distributed. (e) The floors of buildings shall be constructed in such a manner as to avoid dampness. Wooden floors shall be elevated not less than twelve inches above the normal ground level. (f) No tents shall be used for housing, except when provided with wood platforms and with prior approval by the local director of health. (g) Adequate lighting shall be provided for all toilets, hallways, main entrances and fire exits. (h) Premises shall be kept clean and free of litter and rubbish. (See Reg. 19-13-B55.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-4. Sleeping quarters for workers |
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(a) Sleeping quarters shall be in good structural condition and constructed so as to provide shelter to the occupants against the elements and to exclude dampness. (b) Beds shall be furnished to all employees; a separate bed shall be provided for each person; single beds shall be set at a minimum of three feet apart; doubledeck beds shall be set at a minimum of four and one-half feet apart, ceiling height above the top mattress shall not be less than thirty-six inches in rooms used prior to June 7, 1960, for this purpose and not less than forty-two inches in the case of construction after said date. (c) If a room in a lodging or boarding house is overcrowded, the director of health may order the number of persons sleeping or living in such room to be so reduced that there shall not be less than five hundred cubic feet of air to each person over twelve years of age and three hundred cubic feet of air to each child under twelve years of age occupying such room.* * See G.S. § 19-346. (d) Male and female boarders or lodgers shall not be housed in the same building, except that female cooks may be allowed to lodge in the same building with boys if suitable privacy can be arranged as to sleeping quarters and bathing and toilet facilities. This may also apply to camp directors and their families. (e) Sleeping shall not be permitted in kitchens or eating quarters. (f) Adequate lockers or storage space shall be provided for clothing and personal effects of lodgers. Regular inspections shall be made of the lockers and storage facilities to keep them clean and free from soiled clothing. (See Reg. 19-13-B56.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-5. Bedding in sleeping quarters for workers |
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(a) Blankets, sheets, pillow cases, pillows and mattresses or mattress bags shall be provided. (b) All bedding shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition and its condition shall be the responsibility of the management. The sheets and pillow cases shall be laundered at least once a week. Blankets shall be washed at sufficiently frequent intervals to insure cleanliness and, in any case, shall be washed at least every three months. Blankets shall be washed before use by a new worker. When mattresses, mattress bags or pillows become dirty or discolored, they shall be discarded or cleaned. If mattress bags are provided, the bags shall be washed at least every six months and, in any case, before use by a new worker. The mattress filling shall be changed at the time the bags are washed. (c) Regular inspections of beds and bedding shall be made for vermin and periodic extermination service provided when necessary. (See Reg. 19-13-B57.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-6. Kitchen and mess hall or dining room for workers |
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(a) The kitchen and dining room shall be separated from sleeping quarters and toilet rooms. Walls, floors and ceilings shall be in good repair and so constructed as to permit reasonable ease in cleaning. Walls and ceilings shall be painted a light color. The kitchen and dining room shall be adequately equipped for the preparation and serving of food to the number of people involved. (b) Adequate refrigeration shall be provided and all refrigerators or ice chests shall be maintained in good order and kept in a clean condition. Refrigeration temperatures should be kept below 50°F. Adequate, ventilated and vermin-proof food storage space shall be provided. All food shall be stored at least eighteen inches above the floor. (c) Dishes, knives, forks and other utensils shall be of nontarnishable materials and shall be kept in good condition. Cracked and chipped dishes shall be discarded. All eating and cooking utensils shall be protected from flies, vermin and dust. (d) A scullery sink or other satisfactory means, together with ample facilities for furnishing hot water, shall be provided for washing kitchen utensils and dishes. (A three compartment sink is recommended.) All glasses, cups, knives, forks, spoons and dishes shall be thoroughly washed after each use by cleaning with hot water and soap and disinfected by a bactericidal process approved by the local director of health.* All multi-use utensils used in the preparation or serving of food and drink shall be thoroughly cleaned and effectively subjected to an approved bactericidal process immediately following the day's operation. After cleansing, all equipment shall be stored in such a manner as not to become contaminated before being used. *See Reg. 22-17a-7. (e) Stoves, work tables, shelves and accessories in adequate number shall be provided. Ample dish and food storage space shall be provided for the number of people to be accommodated. (f) Tables, chairs or benches, sinks, counters, preparation and/or serving tables, cabinets and shelves shall be kept clean. Cutting boards shall be provided. Dining tables and counters shall be covered with solid top nonabsorbent, easily washed material. (g) All windows, doors and exterior openings in kitchen and eating quarters shall be completely screened with sixteen mesh wire screening on frames. All doors shall be self-closing. (h) Provision shall be made for collecting garbage in an adequate number of covered fly-tight metal containers and disposing of the same at least every two days. Disposal may be by burial not nearer than one hundred feet from the kitchen or water supply, or by hauling away and otherwise disposing of the same so as not to create a nuisance. All garbage cans shall be thoroughly cleaned after each time they are emptied. Garbage cans shall be stored either on concrete platforms, at least eight inches above the ground and with footings around the entire edge at least eighteen inches deep or on platforms eighteen inches above the ground and open underneath for raking. (See Reg. 19-13-B58.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-7. Approved bactericidal processes |
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The following are approved bactericidal processes: (a) Immersion for at least two minutes in clean, hot water at a temperature of at least 170°F. or for one-half minute in boiling water. Unless actually boiling water is used, an approved thermometer shall be available, convenient to the vat. The pouring of scalding water over washed utensils shall not be accepted as satisfactory compliance; or (b) Immersion for at least two minutes in a lukewarm chlorine bath containing at least fifty p.p.m. of available chlorine if hypochlorites are used, or a concentration of equal bactericidal strength if chloramines are used. The bath should be made up at a strength of one hundred p.p.m. or more of hypochlorites and shall not be used after its strength has been reduced to fifty p.p.m.; or (c) Exposure in a steam cabinet equipped with an indicating thermometer located in the coldest zone to at least 170°F. for at least fifteen minutes, or to at least 200°F. for at least five minutes, or (d) Exposure in a properly designed oven or hot-air cabinet equipped with an indicating thermometer located in the coldest zone to hot air at a temperature of at least 180°F. for at least twenty minutes. (See Reg. 19-13-B58 App.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-8. Food for workers |
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(a) Food handlers shall be persons in good health, free from open sores and lesions on the body and free from communicable diseases. (See section 19-13-A22, subsection (q), of the public health code relating to employment of persons with communicable diseases.) All employees shall wear clean outer garments and shall keep their hands clean at all times while engaged in handling food, drink, utensils or equipment. Employees shall not expectorate in rooms in which food is prepared. No employee shall resume work after using the toilet without first washing his hands. (See Reg. 19-13-A23.) (b) All food and drink shall be clean, wholesome, free from spoilage and so prepared as to be safe for human consumption. It shall be protected from dust, flies and vermin at all times. All oysters, clams and mussels shall be from approved sources. (c) Lunches for consumption in the fields shall be put up in securely wrapped wax paper or other nonabsorbent material. Readily perishable food shall be kept at a temperature at or below 50°F. until served. (d) Milk shall be handled and served in a sanitary manner and not exposed to dust, flies or vermin. Milk shall be kept under satisfactory refrigeration. Only pasteurized or canned milk shall be served. (e) All meat served shall be from an inspected source. (f) Sugar shall be stored in a covered container and shall be placed in covered dispensers. (See Reg. 19-13-B59.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-9. Water supply for workers' quarters |
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(a) The supply shall be adequate to furnish at least thirty gallons of water per day per person. Adequate storage to handle peak loads shall be provided. Running water under pressure shall be provided. (b) Any water supply used or rendered available for drinking and for other personal or domestic purposes shall be obtained from a public water supply or from a properly protected and located ground water supply approved by the local director of health. (c) All wells, whether drilled and cased, dug or driven, shall be so located, constructed and covered, and the pump so attached, as to prevent pollution of the well. All surface and near surface water shall be excluded from the well, preferably by a concrete platform curb. Provision shall be made for proper drainage of pump pits. (d) If a ground water supply is used, the source shall not be nearer than one hundred feet to privy vaults, cesspools or other sewage disposal systems. (e) Springs shall not be considered satisfactory unless amply protected against pollution and so constructed as to meet the requirements of the local director of health. (f) The bacteriological quality of the water shall be determined by analysis of samples in those cases where the supply has been out of use or where it otherwise appears necessary. (g) No common drinking cups shall be permitted. Individual paper drinking cups or approved type drinking fountains, conveniently located, shall be provided. (h) No pipe connections shall be made between a potable water supply and any other water supply. (See Reg. 19-13-B60.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-10. Sewage disposal for workers' quarters |
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(a) Where no municipal disposal system is available, all kitchen, lavatory, toilet, bathhouse and laundry wastes shall be disposed of by running through covered drains to a sub-surface disposal system or otherwise disposed of in a manner approved by the local director of health. In unfavorable seepage soil it may be desirable to install separate systems for toilet wastes and other wastes. (b) Toilet facilities shall be provided on the basis of one seat for each ten women, or one seat plus one standing urinal or three feet of trough type urinal for each twenty men. If privies are used, standards shall be not less than those required under section 22-17a-1. Toilet seats shall be of the open-front type. (See Reg. 19-13-B61.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-11. Lavatory, bathing and laundry facilities for workers' quarters |
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(a) Adequate handwashing, bathing and laundry facilities, with running water of approved quality, shall be provided. Hot water shall be available in adequate quantities. (b) There shall be provided one lavatory or its equivalent for each fifteen persons or fraction thereof. (c) Showers shall be provided in these ratios: One shower head for one to ten persons, except that, in case of quarters for less than five workers, a bathtub may be used in place of showers with the approval of the local director of health; two shower heads for eleven to 40 persons; one shower head for each twenty persons or fraction thereof where over forty persons are housed. (d) There shall be provided one laundry tub for each twenty-five men or one laundry tub for each twenty women, plus adequate facilities for clothes drying. (e) Shower room floors shall be scrubbed daily with soap and water Swabbing with a chlorine solution having a strength of not less than 0.5% available chlorine is an additional safeguard. (f) Mats, cloth or other absorptive materials shall not be placed on bathroom floors or shower room floors. (g) Duck boards shall not be used in shower rooms. (h) Each shower room or bathroom shall be adequately ventilated by freely opening windows that shall be screened with sixteen mesh wire screen. (i) Use of common towels shall not be permitted. (See Reg. 19-13-B62.) |
| Sec. 22-17a-12. Refuse disposal for workers' quarters |
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Metal cans with tight fitting covers or other method of storage approved by the local director of health shall be provided to store rubbish pending collection and final disposal. Refuse shall be hauled away as necessary and disposed of so as not to create a nuisance. Rubbish cans shall be stored in the manner outlined for storage of garbage cans. (See Regs. 19-13-B63; 22-17a-6(h).) |