Workers keep dying from heat
Something I’ve noticed the last few years, and have heard many complain about, is longer and more frequent periods of summer-like temperatures. Scientists began to suspect this trend in the 1970s and issued warnings about prolonged summer heat in the late 1980s.
The hotter temperatures put seniors, the poor, and the homeless at higher risk for injury and death. Certain sectors of the workforce are also vulnerable, specifically outdoor day laborers.
According to Labor Department data, dozens of workers die and thousands are injured annually from heat-related illness. Research shows that nearly half of agricultural workers in Florida reach core body temperatures of at least 100.4 degrees during a typical workday, levels considered medically dangerous if sustained. Chronic exposure to high temperatures and dehydration can lead to long-term organ damage, including kidney failure.
Short, regular breaks can significantly reduce health risks by allowing workers to cool down and rehydrate. Currently, there are no federal requirements that provide heat protection for workers, and only a handful of states have enacted such laws.
In 2024, the Biden administration proposed a “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Rule,” which would require employers to implement protective measures for workers. However, the rule is still in the proposal stage and under the current administration, its adoption faces a most uncertain future.
Without protections, economic pressures deter workers from taking cooling breaks, as some employers will dock their pay for doing so. In response, workers in South Florida are organizing through a campaign called Planting Justice to demand shade, water, rest, and medical safeguards.
You can read more about the conditions endured by laborers, their personal stories, and their fight for safety measures and fair treatment in this article from MSN:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/workers-keep-dying-from-heat-data-from...
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Slipstream
In 2023, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill which stripped construction workers in Austin and Dallas of the right to water breaks every four hours and time to rest in the shade while on the job. We're talking 100 degree heat and sometimes higher. I'd like to see Abbott and his cronies working out there with no water or shade breaks for hours on end. They wouldn't last fifteen minutes doing real labor. I can only hope that one day their karma rolls around, and they're living the life of those they abused. What a glorious day that will be!
Thanks for posting this article and raising awareness about the conditions many workers have to endure.
Well Street
I'd like to learn the governor's explanation as to why removing workers' rights was a good idea. He apparently doesn't understand that a well-hydrated and rested worker can accomplish more.
I know this is playing the race card, but the majority of day laborers and agricultural workers are, by far, Hispanic. Would the governor have felt differently about removing rest and water breaks from white workers, I wonder?
Slipstream
The Guardian article I read said, "Hispanic workers made up a third of all worker heat deaths since 2010, according to an NPR/Columbia study."
And from that same article referring to the new Texas law, "...the Republican lawmakers pushing the new law have said it eliminates a 'hodgepodge of onerous and burdensome regulations' that Texas businesses face."
So, to your point, a large number are indeed Hispanic; however, when it comes to workers' rights vs. business interest, the driving force is what's good for business. When it benefits business, they're proudly color blind.