SOUTHWEST MIAMI DADE, Fla. – On a GoFundMe page, the brother of Efrain Lopez Garcia said that the 30-year-old farm worker started to feel sick at work. Co-workers offered him water and ice.
Elena Contreras, Climate Justice Organizer for the Farmerworker Association of Florida said: “He must have been scared, he must have wanted to continue working and unfortunately he lost his life.”
Contreras said co-workers later found Garcia unresponsive.
“When they found him, he had already passed away . . . Although they did tell him that he could go home and that he could rest, whenever you are a farm worker you don’t feel like you can take the privilege of going home and missing that day of work. . . .to lose the money for that day and scared to take breaks, drink water go to the restroom,” said Contreras.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office told Local 10 News that the cause of death is pending until it can be determined but farmworker advocates say his death, the week of July 4 at a farm in the Redlands, is a grave warning about the dangers of working outdoors in extreme heat.
Yvette Cruz, Communications Coordinator of the Farmworker Association of Florida, said: “We want employers to know to educate their employees how to take care of themselves; to work with someone, don’t work alone.
Miami-Dade County Commissioners on Tuesday passing on its first reading of new worker protections to include 10-minute shaded water breaks every two hours on days when the heat index hits 90 degrees.
In a statement on Wednesday, County Commissioner Eileen Higgins told Local 10 News: “Our climate is changing and much of our workforce works outdoors. We’ve got to make sure that working conditions adapt. Heat is dangerous. (They need) water, shade, and rest recovery periods that allow workers to cool off . . .(these) are the key elements of the ordinance.”
Higgins said the ordinance will likely be heard in committee in September.
The organization ‘WeCount!’ told Local 10 News that the county’s new policy consideration is part of its Que Calor campaign. “¡Qué Calor! is a worker-led campaign to win life-saving protections for outdoor workers in South Florida.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in June that statistics from 2021 showed that 36 work-related deaths were due to environmental heat exposure. With the rising heat indexes, the stats will surely be different in 2023.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Fatality data on work-related fatalities, including heat, that occurred under Federal OSHA and State Plan jurisdiction for cases that have been closed or citations issued on or after Jan. 1, 2017 is posted at Fatality Inspection Data | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)