California has laws to protect outdoor workers from heat-related illnesses, yet farmworkers still die on the job. Employers must provide fresh water, shade, and breaks. Training for supervisors on recognizing heat stroke is also required. However, enforcement has been inadequate; inspections by regulators dropped by 30% from 2017 to 2023. The number of violations decreased, and audits revealed that inspectors often failed to take necessary actions for workers suffering from heat illnesses. Cal/OSHA has been reported as severely understaffed, with outdated procedures contributing to the issue of heat-related fatalities.
In 2005, then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed landmark legislation aimed at protecting workers from the heat. It came after four farmworkers died that summer in heat-related incidents.
Heat safety rules require employers to provide outdoor workers with fresh water, access to shade, and breaks to cool off whenever workers request them.
Reporting from the Los Angeles Times has found that regulators have not been sufficiently enforcing these laws. Field inspections dropped by 30% from 2017 to 2023, while violations fell by more than 40%.
The state auditor found that Cal/OSHA inspectors regularly failed to take the right steps when workers suffered heat illness on the job, and the agency was severely understaffed.
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