A federal workplace safety investigation found a Florida labor contractor could have prevented the fatal illness of a 41-year-old worker who collapsed while harvesting oranges at Alico Farms in December 2023. According to investigators, the incident could have been avoided if the required steps to protect employees from hazards associated with high temperatures were taken.
Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration learned the worker employed by Guerrero Ag LLC had difficulty talking and appeared disoriented before becoming unresponsive and collapsing. These are symptoms consistent with a person suffering from heat stroke. OSHA determined the heat index reached approximately 92 degrees on the day of the incident. The worker died three days later in intensive care.
OSHA cited Guerrero Ag for two serious violations for exposing workers to hazards associated with high ambient heat, on three separate days, and not providing first-aid training to employees working in an area without an infirmary, clinic or hospital. The agency also cited the Arcadia-based labor contractor for failing to report a work-related hospitalization within 24 hours, and subsequently the fatality within eight hours, as required by law. Guerrero Ag LLC faces $30,651 in proposed penalties.
“Had Guerrero Ag developed and implemented an effective heat-illness prevention plan, this worker’s life could have been saved,” explained OSHA Area Office Director Danelle Jindra in Tampa, Florida. “Employers must take action to protect employees from workplace hazards, including heat hazards both outdoors and indoors, to prevent another tragic and preventable death.”
In September 2021, the department announced enhanced and expanded measures to protect workers from the hazards of extreme heat.
NEW RULE IN THE WORKS
OSHA has developed a potential standard for workplaces to prevent heat illness and injury in work environments in agriculture and other industries. The agency also took an important step in addressing the dangers of workplace heat and moved closer to publishing a proposed rule to reduce the significant health risks of heat exposure for U.S. workers in outdoor and indoor settings.
In April 2023, OSHA presented the draft rule’s initial regulatory framework to the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health. The committee unanimously recommended OSHA move forward swiftly on the notice of proposed rulemaking. The initial regulatory framework materials from the meeting are available in a docket on regulations.gov
Updates on the rulemaking process will be provided on OSHA’s heat rulemaking web page. OSHA concluded the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act process on Nov. 3, 2023. On June 11, 2024, the agency submitted its draft standard on heat injury and illness prevention to the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of the Information and Regulatory Affairs for review.
ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS
Meanwhile, OSHA will continue to conduct heat-related inspections under the agency’s National Emphasis Program – Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards. The focus is on enforcement in workplaces with the highest exposures to heat-related hazards to proactively prevent workers from suffering injury, illnesses or death. Since the launch in 2022, OSHA has conducted nearly 5,000 federal heat-related inspections.
OSHA continues to direct significant existing outreach and enforcement resources to educate employers and workers and hold businesses accountable for violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s general duty clause and other applicable regulations.
“Federal law requires employers to protect workers from the dangers of heat exposure, and employers should have a safety and health plan in place. At a minimum, employers should provide adequate cool water, rest breaks and shade or a cool rest area,” added Jindra. “Employees who are new or returning to a high heat workplace should be allowed time to gradually get used to working in hot temperatures. Workers and managers should also be trained so they can identify and help prevent heat illness themselves.”
In addition, OSHA will prioritize programmed inspections in agricultural industries that employ temporary, nonimmigrant H-2A workers for seasonal labor. These workers face unique vulnerabilities, including potential language barriers, less control over their living and working conditions, possible lack of acclimatization, and are at high risk of hazardous heat exposure.
OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention campaign educates employers and workers on the dangers of heat in the workplace and offers resources to recognize and reduce hazards.
Source: Department of Labor
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