In California's Central Valley, harsh heat impacts farmworkers during harvest, with temperatures exceeding 110 degrees. Despite nearly 20 years of implemented heat safety laws, enforcement remains insufficient, leading to ongoing fatalities. Workers face denied breaks and inadequate hydration. Insufficient inspections, light penalties, and the intensifying climate exacerbate dangers in the fields. The situation has evolved from a lack of basic provisions to a broader breakdown in regulatory oversight. While laws exist to protect workers, these measures have not kept up with environmental changes or enforcement demands, resulting in tragic outcomes for families.
These are the cruelest days of harvest, when the sun turns fields into slow ovens and the heat climbs before breakfast, holding on until the stars are out.
Nearly 20 years ago, California enacted the nation's first heat rules for basic worker safety: water, shade, rest. Mercies you'd think needed no law.
This is not a failure of the law itself, but of enforcement. Inspectors are too few. Penalties too light. Investigations too slow.
Meanwhile the climate has turned meaner. Nights that once cooled now hold the day's heat like a grudge.
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