Work Conditions to Improve for Farm Workers

Farmers will have to follow new rules to protect their farm workers especially during high temperatures. Cal Osha has revised its policies after two lawsuit settlements and now they’ll have to be more effective, timely and consistent with their inspections.

June through August are the hottest months of the year but it doesn’t keep farm workers from being out under the sun harvesting crops.

"California has more than 35,000 farms employing more than 650,000 farm workers but employees failed to comply with heat illness prevention in 1 out of 4 instances," Bradley Phillips said.

Leaving hundreds of farm workers at risk of suffering a heat related illness or death. In the last 10 years at least three have died of potentially heat related causes. Many others worry it will happen to them.

Mauricia Caudillo is a farm worker and explained she has seen several co workers suffer from heat exhaustion. In 2009 she was one of several farm workers to join UFW in filing a lawsuit against Cal Osha alleging failures to protect them from heat illness. Another one was filed in 2012.

"Farm workers shouldn’t have to risk death or illness from extreme heat when reasonable measures can easily prevent such tragedies," said Arturo Rodriguez.

The settlement of those two lawsuits were announced Thursday, it includes changes to Cal Osha’s policies to provide more effective, timely and consistent inspections at outdoor work sites to ensure compliance, the UFW will now be able to easily report and archive any violations, there will be confidential internal audits and investigators will be able to take formal statements from workers in the field during heat inspections.

"We hope that this will not be another summer where farm workers parish because of the failure of employers to enforce the law that exists to protect farm workers," Rodriguez said.

Those companies who don’t comply with the new regulations will face fines and citations.