As temperatures continue to rise across the Central Valley, farmworkers face dangerous heat during their daily work. Long hours spent harvesting and tending crops under direct sunlight increase the risk of heat-related illnesses when proper safety precautions are not followed.
According to the National Center for Farmworker Health, agricultural workers are 35 times more likely to die from heat-related illnesses than workers in other industries. To help reduce those risks, California law requires employers to provide protections such as clean drinking water, shade, rest breaks, and access to restrooms during periods of extreme heat.
Yesenia Acosta, an organizer with Líderes Campesinas, said farmworkers have legal rights that employers must uphold.
“The rights that farmworkers have during times of heat is to be provided clean, cold water, clean bathrooms, shade, breaks. And if they are experiencing vomiting or other symptoms they are required to give them breaks when needed. By law they have the right to take a break if they do not feel well,” said Acosta.
California’s Heat Illness Prevention Standard requires employers to provide these accommodations. However, compliance is not always consistent, leaving some workers without the protections they are legally entitled to receive.
Acosta encouraged workers to advocate for themselves and report violations when necessary.
“They can call Cal/OSHA, we can discuss labor rights with them. But before anything the entire crew needs to get together and discuss their rights with their foremen because they are violating the rights of the farmworkers. And the people have the right to report them, no matter the case. If they do not have papers, that has nothing to do with it. Or if they are immigrants, that does not matter,” said Acosta.
Maria Aguilar, who has worked in agriculture for 22 years, said her current employer provides the protections required by law. However, she remembers a time when conditions were much different.
“A long time ago, sometimes it resulted in my employers not letting us rest very often. And apart from that they would give us more work. Now, they give us everything that the law says. It was hard but we had to do it. People needed to work, we needed to sustain our homes. Hot or not, we had to move forward,” said Aguilar.
Aguilar recalled that some foremen pressured workers to move faster than their bodies could safely handle.
“There was one or two times that I had foremen that wanted to rush you to finish the job. That has happened to me before. It was very ugly because we couldn’t work more than what our body could do,” Aguilar said.
She also noted that labor protections have improved over the years.
“A long time ago, they used to give us the trays from the job and we had to take them home and wash them. That has changed with the laws, and they don’t make us do that anymore, which is good,” said Aguilar.
Farmworkers who have questions about their rights or believe their employer is violating California’s heat safety regulations can contact Yesenia Acosta with Líderes Campesinas at (661) 438-6254. Workers can also report workplace safety concerns directly to Cal/OSHA at (800) 963-9424.
