Extreme heat is killing America’s farm workers

[jltrent]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topst ... li=BBnb7Kz

Heat can induce dehydration, nausea, exhaustion, stroke, and death. Even among workers who endure little discomfort, heat can take a toll over time. Chronic dehydration, for example, can lead to kidney failure. Despite these risks, there is no federal standard protecting workers from extreme heat.

"Hotter temperatures beget fewer full work days, exhaustion, and fatigue," said Jeannie Economos, the pesticide safety and environmental health project coordinator for the Farmworker Association of Florida. "It's even worse when you have to pick fast because farm workers are paid by the piece, not the hour. This is a big deal when you're trying to bring home wages that can support a family or pay a car bill—plus these folks don't have health insurance."

 

[Bright Raven]

It is very hot here. Humidity is worse than it has been this summer

 

[greybeard]

Perhaps the gooberment will form a new agency and call it the Heat Protection Agency. Just think of the number of new hires possible, as they have to employ more and more goobers to go around enforcing the new standards, then form a new agency with even more goobers to make sure the HPA doesn't make it's own goobers work in the heat either.
:tiphat:

 

[callmefence]

My doctor has told how dangerous and unhealthy working in this heat can be.

I says kinda like working around and handling sick and diseased people every day......he just looks at me like a cow looking at a new gate.

 

[Atimm693]

Makes me wish that I had a seasonal job so I could just say pi$$ on it and leave. Every summer I wonder what I'm still doing here.

This year has been especially bad, summer was on in May and still hasn't quit.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Fact is most folks that have been or are self employed do what needs to be done, health hazards be danged.

 

[slick4591]

I'll say in my case it's the age thing that is the bigger problem. I've handled summers like this one in the past with no problems and not really given a second thought about them. With the age and health issues I've had to adjust the way I get things done. Sometimes it's just plain hard to leave the house.

 

[1982vett]

I'll say in my case it's the age thing that is the bigger problem. I've handled summers like this one in the past with no problems and not really given a second thought about them. With the age and health issues I've had to adjust the way I get things done. Sometimes it's just plain hard to leave the house.

Really kicking my butt too.

 

[Jogeephus]

In the Lake Apopka region of Florida, a typical August day might yield a high temperature of 92F, a heat made all the worse by the stifling humidity. The weather is bad enough for office workers who spend most of the day next to an air conditioner. For farm workers, who spend their August picking blueberries outdoors, the heat can be oppressive, even fatal.

Don't want to downplay the danger of working in high temperatures but one needs to use common sense when working outdoors. This is something this article fails to mention since one would have to be a fool to try and pick Florida blueberries in the August heat when they aren't even in season. Their season is April and May.

I can't help but wonder if this isn't the same journalist who wrote a lot of negative stuff about tomatoes bought by Publix and who inspired a bunch of millennials to protest and boycott Publix and demand that they force their growers to install air conditioning in their tomato patches so the workers wouldn't get hot.

 

[JMJ Farms]

In the Lake Apopka region of Florida, a typical August day might yield a high temperature of 92F, a heat made all the worse by the stifling humidity. The weather is bad enough for office workers who spend most of the day next to an air conditioner. For farm workers, who spend their August picking blueberries outdoors, the heat can be oppressive, even fatal.

Don't want to downplay the danger of working in high temperatures but one needs to use common sense when working outdoors. This is something this article fails to mention since one would have to be a fool to try and pick Florida blueberries in the August heat when they aren't even in season. Their season is April and May.

I can't help but wonder if this isn't the same journalist who wrote a lot of negative stuff about tomatoes bought by Publix and who inspired a bunch of millennials to protest and boycott Publix and demand that they force their growers to install air conditioning in their tomato patches so the workers wouldn't get hot.

So.... you got your tomato patch air conditioned yet? What are you waiting on? Looks like you could have a monopoly on selling to Publix if you'd get your azz in gear :lol2: :lol2:

 

[Jogeephus]

In the Lake Apopka region of Florida, a typical August day might yield a high temperature of 92F, a heat made all the worse by the stifling humidity. The weather is bad enough for office workers who spend most of the day next to an air conditioner. For farm workers, who spend their August picking blueberries outdoors, the heat can be oppressive, even fatal.

Don't want to downplay the danger of working in high temperatures but one needs to use common sense when working outdoors. This is something this article fails to mention since one would have to be a fool to try and pick Florida blueberries in the August heat when they aren't even in season. Their season is April and May.

I can't help but wonder if this isn't the same journalist who wrote a lot of negative stuff about tomatoes bought by Publix and who inspired a bunch of millennials to protest and boycott Publix and demand that they force their growers to install air conditioning in their tomato patches so the workers wouldn't get hot.

So.... you got your tomato patch air conditioned yet? What are you waiting on? Looks like you could have a monopoly on selling to Publix if you'd get your azz in gear :lol2: :lol2:

I had thought seriously about enclosing a 200 acre field of tomatoes and doing just that but then I thought the carbon footprint would melt the icecaps and leave all those baby polar bears to drown in the iceless ocean and I just couldn't live with myself. You know, its dammed if you do and dammed if you don't with these left wing journalist types. One minute they seem to care about global warming and the next they are encouraging you to kill baby polar bears. I don't get it. Its almost like they just looks for shyt to put on paper without devoting any time for thought or reason.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Don't want to downplay the danger of working in high temperatures but one needs to use common sense when working outdoors. This is something this article fails to mention since one would have to be a fool to try and pick Florida blueberries in the August heat when they aren't even in season. Their season is April and May.

I can't help but wonder if this isn't the same journalist who wrote a lot of negative stuff about tomatoes bought by Publix and who inspired a bunch of millennials to protest and boycott Publix and demand that they force their growers to install air conditioning in their tomato patches so the workers wouldn't get hot.

So.... you got your tomato patch air conditioned yet? What are you waiting on? Looks like you could have a monopoly on selling to Publix if you'd get your azz in gear :lol2: :lol2:

I had thought seriously about enclosing a 200 acre field of tomatoes and doing just that but then I thought the carbon footprint would melt the icecaps and leave all those baby polar bears to drown in the iceless ocean and I just couldn't live with myself. You know, its dammed if you do and dammed if you don't with these left wing journalist types. One minute they seem to care about global warming and the next they are encouraging you to kill baby polar bears. I don't get it. Its almost like they just looks for shyt to put on paper without devoting any time for thought or reason.

:lol2: Pretty quick on your feet Jogeephus :tiphat:

 

[herofan]

Don't want to downplay the danger of working in high temperatures but one needs to use common sense when working outdoors.

That's the key. Where I'm from, I would think most people could schedule their physical activities for a cooler time of day. Most of their work includes riding in a cab tractor and riding around in their pick up truck.

 

[TexasBred]

My first job was working with a bridge building crew 11 hr. days working right in the middle of the right of way all day long. Boss just made sure there was a water can and NO thermometer around. Nobody died and only had a couple get too hot and "burn out" as they called it back then.

High temp here this year was two consecutive days at 114......the few times I left the house it dam near too my breath away. Up the road a couple of miles was a highway crew patching potholes.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

My first job was working with a bridge building crew 11 hr. days working right in the middle of the right of way all day long. Boss just made sure there was a water can and NO thermometer around. Nobody died and only had a couple get too hot and "burn out" as they called it back then.

High temp here this year was two consecutive days at 114......the few times I left the house it dam near too my breath away. Up the road a couple of miles was a highway crew patching potholes.

Probably Mexicans, their use to it,,,they can do it while chewing on a jalapeño...

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I'll say in my case it's the age thing that is the bigger problem. I've handled summers like this one in the past with no problems and not really given a second thought about them. With the age and health issues I've had to adjust the way I get things done. Sometimes it's just plain hard to leave the house.

The older you get,,, you're subject to a heat stroke walking to the mailbox.

 

[slick4591]

I was thinking that not so long ago I did some summer weekend work demoing the inside of a few warehouses that were being renovated. Never knew the exact temp on the inside but there was no moving air. Literally, you wouldn't pee all day long because we sweated it out. Was always glad to get to the a/c, but wasn't a problem doing 10 hour days.

 

[littletom]

The boys that cut tobacco for me are off bout 10% on those awful days

 

[Lucky]

Anybody ever watch a crew a crew of mexicans pour concrete in August? Those boys know how to work in the heat....slow and steady. They'll find shade to eat lunch in even if it's under a gooseneck trailer. Pretty sure people been working in the heat since the beginning of time, could be wrong though...

 

[slick4591]

Anybody ever watch a crew a crew of mexicans pour concrete in August? Those boys know how to work in the heat....slow and steady. They'll find shade to eat lunch in even if it's under a gooseneck trailer. Pretty sure people been working in the heat since the beginning of time, could be wrong though...

And they wear a hat and cover their neck.