8 months ago
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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A national vigor illness, injury, and fatality prevention enactment is being reintroduced connected Capitol Hill. Members of Congress introduced this measure backmost successful 2023.
The bill's ceremonial sanction is the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act. In 2004, Valdivia, who was a farmworker, died successful Kern County.
"Valdivia was astatine enactment picking grapes for 10 hours consecutive successful 105 degrees," said California Representative Judy Chu. He fell implicit unconscious. "Instead of calling an ambulance, his leader told his lad to thrust Mr. Valdivia home. On the mode home. His lad watched his begetter foam astatine the rima and dice of a vigor changeable astatine the property of 53."
While California has beardown protections successful spot for workers, that's not the lawsuit for different states. In the span of 25 years, much than 800 workers successful the U.S. died from heat-stress injuries. Last twelvemonth was the hottest connected record.
"As the satellite continues to turn hotter, it's unconscionable that successful the twelvemonth 2025, we bash not person a federally enforceable vigor information modular for workers," California Senator Alex Padilla said.
On Thursday, Padilla, Chu and national workers reintroduced authorities to support workers successful utmost vigor conditions nationwide. This protects some workers indoors and outside.
"It's besides unsafe for those who enactment indoors, successful factories and kitchens," Padilla said.
Padilla announced that the projected measure has bipartisan enactment from the House, but they request the Senate, particularly Republican constituents, to get connected board.
In Firebaugh, Joe Del Bosque of Del Bosque Farms has firsthand acquisition dealing with these utmost conditions. At 1 constituent successful time, he, too, was moving retired successful the fields. Now, helium manages astir 120 workers astatine 1 time.
"I cognize however unsafe it is. It's blistery retired there," helium said.
At Del Bosque Farm, each unit has their ain shadiness trailer wherever they tin instrumentality their luncheon interruption to get retired of the prima and support cool. This is conscionable 1 of the precautions that helium takes to support his workers safe.
"We don't privation to spot anybody injured or, eden forbid, person immoderate deaths successful agriculture," helium said.
His workers besides person an endless proviso of water. But Del Bosque says the astir captious instrumentality is education.
"Farmers either present successful California oregon different states should look for training, get classes connected however to person a amended information programme for their people. That's thing that we've done," Del Bosque said.
