With the death last week of a farm worker in the central part of the state, attention is once again brought to heat illness risks. Sabrina Hill has more.
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It’s suspected the 30-year-old farm worker died last week from heat illness he suffered while picking watermelons in Fresno County.
Growers and labor contractors are encouraged to visit Cal/OSHA’s heat illness webpage or the “Water. Rest. Shade.” Campaign online for information on preventing heat illness. The CalOSHA website also has a heat illness prevention e-tool that further explains CalOSHA requirements and heat safety practices.
There is another inspection growers can have before Cal/OSHA arrives.
Growers with coverage from State Fund can take advantage of a preventative Cal/OSHA compliance check from a local State Fund representative. A State Fund representative will survey the farming operation just as a Cal/OSHA agent would, and discuss problems that need correction. This includes heat illness compliance issues. For a consultation and compliance check, call your area State Fund representative.
For the Cal/OSHA Heat Illness Prevention website, click here.
For the Water. Rest. Shade website, click here.