A young 30-year-old agricultural worker, resident in Homestead, south of Florida, died in the middle of an intense work day exposed to high temperatures.
Efrain Lopez Garcia, a native of Guatemala, was found unconscious at the beginning of July and later declared dead, although the official cause of his death has not been made public, according to reports.Local 10 News.
The 30-year-old had been feeling fatigued from the arduous work during a day of extreme heatand he discussed it with his cousin and his boss, but for fear of being fired he continued his work and fell fainting.
Iris García, cousin of the deceased, referred toTelemundothat the young man's mother wants his body to be sent to Guatemala so she can say goodbye to him.
He also demanded help for farm workers, who do not protect themselves from the heat or take breaks for fear of losing their jobs.
The Homestead Agricultural Workers Association held a vigil and a press conference in honor of Efraín López García and asked for better working conditions in the face of such a tragedy that alarmed farmers.
"We want employers to know that they should educate their employees on how to take care of themselves - basic needs: water, shade, breaks -, work with someone, not be left alone. You never know what is going to happen, so, unfortunately, caused this death and we tried to prevent it," said Yvette Cruz of the Florida Farm Workers Association.
Another worker stated that most bosses have no consideration for what they are going through.with this heat.
"The county and the state should make strict laws to protect workers," Luis Campos told the media.
López García is one of at least two farm workers suspected of having died from exposure to extreme heat in recent weeks.
The tragedies fueled protests outside the Miami-Dade County Government building on Tuesday, calling for measures to protect outdoor workers exposed to dangerous heat.
That same day, the Miami-Dade Commission presented a project that creates workplace heat protections for some 80,000 people who work in construction and agriculture in the county, he said.The New Herald.
A safety program will be required that educates workers and their supervisors about the risk of exposure to extreme temperatures, the right to a 10-minute paid break, and shaded water breaks every two hours on heat index days. reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Businesses that do not comply with these requirements would face fines of up to $3,000 per violation per day.
"It will be the first law of its kind in Florida and, if passed as is, it will be the strongest in the entire country," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued advisories for extreme heat that has been occurring for a few weeks.
Forecasts have shown that temperatures are reaching110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius).
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