California’s lax enforcement of the laws that are supposed to protect farmworkers in the summer heat has claimed another victim:
Jorge Herrera, 37, died Thursday afternoon at San Joaquin Community Hospital in Bakersfield after collapsing while loading table grapes at Vignolo Vineyards.
Dean Fryer, a spokesman for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, said his department was notified late Thursday of the death and is investigating.
“It’s being being treated as a suspected heat fatality,” Fryer said. He said corroboration would be needed from the coroner to make a final determination the death is due to heat exposure.
In the Los Angeles Times, Michael Marsh and Dorothy Johnson call for “a real heat shield for farmworkers”:
It’s ironic that November’s ballot will carry an initiative to ensure that chickens are humanely treated on California farms, while weak regulations fail to protect farmworkers from heat illness and other risks. The workers who provide us with our daily meals deserve better.
The United Farm Workers need your help to make those protections a reality. If you haven’t already, take a moment and join their campaign.