In the land of sweltering heat, DeSantis and his Republican cohorts enact law endangering thousands.

[JLW]

They already had relief via state and federal government, period.

This is is wrong.

“The proposed Miami-Dade Heat Standard would have guaranteed access to water and shaded rest breaks for more than 100,000 outdoor workers in Miami-Dade County. Currently, no federal laws regulate heat exposure in the workplace….”

There may be federal laws coming down the pike regarding heat exposure, but none as of today based on what I am reading.

Anger is growing over this law.

Florida outdoor workers vow to continue heat protection fight

DeSantis signed a bill in April banning heat protections for outdoor workers in Florida

prismreports.org

The Miami-Dade Ordinance itself references the lack of protections for these outdoor workers. See post 40.

 

[martybegan]

You moron, you still don’t understand the law. The state law prohibits local government from requiring employers to provide water breaks and other relief during periods of extreme heat. Before you post again have your nursing home care taker review your post.

Actually the law requires uniform rules about work activities throughout the State.

And how do you provide shade to roofers?

 

[martybegan]

This is is wrong.

“The proposed Miami-Dade Heat Standard would have guaranteed access to water and shaded rest breaks for more than 100,000 outdoor workers in Miami-Dade County. Currently, no federal laws regulate heat exposure in the workplace….”

There may be federal laws coming down the pike regarding heat exposure, but none as of today based on what I am reading.

Anger is growing over this law.

Florida outdoor workers vow to continue heat protection fight

DeSantis signed a bill in April banning heat protections for outdoor workers in Florida

prismreports.org

The Miami-Dade Ordinance itself references the lack of protections for these outdoor workers. See post 40.

Federal laws consider heat stroke and heat exhaustion to be incidents, with heat stroke being reportable as it requires hospitalization.

You are wrong.

 

[westwall]

What, 96 degrees in Miami is now considered to be "insane heat"? How do you get to blame the governor? This is NYT fiction written by someone named Patricia Mazzei. Extortionist anti American lefties buy it every time.

I love how these silly people whine about the heat as if they are going to melt. Try Death Valley in the Summer if you want to experience heat.

It is a dry heat though! LOL

 

[JLW]

Federal laws consider heat stroke and heat exhaustion to be incidents, with heat stroke being reportable as it requires hospitalization.

You are wrong.

Post the federal laws to which you speak.

 

[martybegan]

Post the federal laws to which you speak.

OSHA regulations. They don't go over heat issues specifically, but heat stroke is definitely reportable, and heat exhaustion is treated as a first aid case and must be logged. No one wants a logged incident, and no one EVER wants a reportable OSHA incident.

It's up to the Contractor to provide a safe work environment in general, and OSHA covers that.

 

[JLW]

OSHA regulations. They don't go over heat issues specifically, but heat stroke is definitely reportable, and heat exhaustion is treated as a first aid case and must be logged. No one wants a logged incident, and no one EVER wants a reportable OSHA incident.

It's up to the Contractor to provide a safe work environment in general, and OSHA covers that.

The problem is that OSHA does not cover heat exposure and leaves it up to the states as to adequate heat exposure laws. OSHA currently relies on the general duty clause (OSH Act section 5(a)(1)) to protect workers from this hazard. Nothing more, and that clause does nothing in the area of exposure to extreme heat for outdoor workers. OSHA all but admits that itself (See below). Florida law does not cover heat exposure. Only Washington, Minnesota, California, Oregon, and Colorado have specific laws governing occupational heat exposure.

There is an OSHA Regulation pending that covers heat exposure but that regulation has not passed and is not yet in force; thus, since the State of Florida does not care about workers' exposure to extreme heat, it is up to the local governments to fill the void.

But as we know now the State of Florida has barred local governments from requiring employers to provide relief to these outdoor workers.

View Rule

 

[martybegan]

The problem is that OSHA does not cover heat exposure and leaves it up to the states as to adequate heat exposure laws. OSHA currently relies on the general duty clause (OSH Act section 5(a)(1)) to protect workers from this hazard. Nothing more, and that clause does nothing in the area of exposure to extreme heat for outdoor workers. OSHA all but admits that itself (See below). Florida law does not cover heat exposure. Only Washington, Minnesota, California, Oregon, and Colorado have specific laws governing occupational heat exposure.

There is an OSHA Regulation pending that covers heat exposure but that regulation has not passed and is not yet in force; thus, since the State of Florida does not care about workers' exposure to extreme heat, it is up to the local governments to fill the void.

View Rule

It's still something contractors have to be aware of and consider because the results of heat stroke and heat exhaustion are at minimum logged and in cases of heat stroke, reportable. Thus even without a standard, the Contractors are mandated to take care of the issue.

How often do these workers experience heat stroke or heat exhaustion?

 

[JLW]

It's still something contractors have to be aware of and consider because the results of heat stroke and heat exhaustion are at minimum logged and in cases of heat stroke, reportable. Thus even without a standard, the Contractors are mandated to take care of the issue.

How often do these workers experience heat stroke or heat exhaustion?

In response to your question, as to how many workers have experienced heat-related injuries, OSHA itself found that Heat stress killed 815 U.S. workers and seriously injured more than 70,000 workers from 1992 through 2017, citing the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

[martybegan]

In response to your question, as to how many workers have experienced heat-related injuries, OSHA itself found that Heat stress killed 815 U.S. workers and seriously injured more than 70,000 workers from 1992 through 2017, citing the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Link?

Also more than likely that isn't just outside work but inside work in places like foundries, mills, or chemical plants, where heat is part of the job.

 

[Rawley]

South Florida is in the midst of an unprecedented heat wave this early in the season. The heat index the last few days have reached temperatures of 112 degrees.

“It’s insane,” said John Morales, a meteorologist for ClimaData, a private weather forecasting and consulting firm, and a hurricane specialist at WTVJ-TV, the NBC station in Miami. “Not only is it insane, it is also dangerous.”

‘Insane’ Heat Has Been Scorching Miami. It’s Not Even June.

The hottest May on record for the city has experts worried about the summer — and hurricane season — to come.

www.nytimes.com

But this thread is not about climate change it is about the insane law passed by DeSantis and the Radical Florida Republican Party. Last month, DeSantis signed a law that banned local governments requiring outdoor workers be given heat and water breaks or relief from the heat.

“It was a direct response to Miami-Dade County’s effort to require shade and water for construction, farm and other outdoor workers.

But in a state where construction and farming are huge industries — Miami-Dade estimates more than 325,000 workers in that county alone — critics lambasted the bill that keeps local government from protecting workers from heat and sun. Democratic state Sen. Victor Torres called the new law an attack on workers.”

DeSantis bans local governments from protecting workers from heat and limits police oversight boards

Florida is seeing two more recent instances of state government under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis limiting the powers of local government with newly-signed bills that deal with worker safety and police oversight.

apnews.com

DeSantis nixes local efforts to protect outdoor workers from FL's brutal weather • Florida Phoenix

Gov. Ron DeSantis has quietly signed into law a measure barring local governments from requiring employers to provide workers with basic protections like shade, accessible water, and breaks from the Florida’s scorching heat and humidity. Since the Legislature adjourned its regular session on...

floridaphoenix.com

So in an effort to show he is tough guy and to further his climate change denialist agenda, DeSantis in cahoots with his radical Republican brethren, decide to endanger the lives and well-beings of tens of thousands of outdoor workers not just in Miami-Dade County but throughout the State of Florida.

So tell me what is the purpose of a law that prohibits local government from providing protections for outdoor workers such as , taking water and heat breaks, or providing them with relief, when it is 112 degrees outside? The law is just plain sadistic.

Of course all this does is once again show the hypocrisy of Republicans. They Love to talk about local government except when it conflicts with their own ideology.

Whenever a media outlet reports on, particularly when they criticize a law, I'm extremely suspicious they are misreporting.

 

[JLW]

Link?

Also more than likely that isn't just outside work but inside work in places like foundries, mills, or chemical plants, where heat is part of the job.

The information provided came from the proposed OSHA rule regarding Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings

According to OSHA, the figures previously provided are an under-count.

Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. View Rule

 

[martybegan]

The information provided came from the proposed OSHA rule regarding Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings

According to OSHA, the figures previously provided are an under-count.

Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. View Rule

And all the jobs I have worked on have procedures in place for heat stress, because if someone gets heat exhaustion or god forbid heat stroke it's at a minimum a loggable incident, and at worst a reportable one.

The issue here is you can't have multiple jurisdictions in the same State having a hodgepodge of rules. In particular one as broad as the Miami/Dade one that if read strictly would prevent people from working AT ALL and then getting paid for doing nothing.

 

[The Duke]

What, 96 degrees in Miami is now considered to be "insane heat"? How do you get to blame the governor? This is NYT fiction written by someone named Patricia Mazzei. Extortionist anti American lefties buy it every time.

When's the last time you were in 96 degree heat with 94% humidity?

That's equal to about 120 with zero humidity.

 

[jack3]

Workers generally get breaks and lunch when working.

 

[CrazyTrader55]

This is is wrong.

“The proposed Miami-Dade Heat Standard would have guaranteed access to water and shaded rest breaks for more than 100,000 outdoor workers in Miami-Dade County. Currently, no federal laws regulate heat exposure in the workplace….”

There may be federal laws coming down the pike regarding heat exposure, but none as of today based on what I am reading.

Anger is growing over this law.

Florida outdoor workers vow to continue heat protection fight

DeSantis signed a bill in April banning heat protections for outdoor workers in Florida

prismreports.org

The Miami-Dade Ordinance itself references the lack of protections for these outdoor workers. See post 40.

I really can't see how anyone who cares about people would object to a law guaranteeing water breaks for workers.

 

[martybegan]

I really can't see how anyone who cares about people would object to a law guaranteeing water breaks for workers.

They have to be provided water already. and they get breaks and lunch.

The problem is the law was probably so broadly written it would have forbidden work in certain conditions AND forced the contractors to still pay the workers.

I've tried to find the text of the law, but so far google searches just shunt me to articles that talk about the laws but don't link them.

 

[JLW]

They have to be provided water already. and they get breaks and lunch.

The problem is the law was probably so broadly written it would have forbidden work in certain conditions AND forced the contractors to still pay the workers.

I've tried to find the text of the law, but so far google searches just shunt me to articles that talk about the laws but don't link them.

At post 15 I linked to the Florida State law prohibiting local government from requiring employers to provide for worker safety and at post 16 I linked to the Miami-Dade Ordinance that caused the Republicans to enact the state law to begin with.

The problem is not too many laws regarding worker safety in times of extreme heat, it is the dearth of such laws. That is why Miami-Dade passed their initial law, and also why OSHA seeks to pass a new regulation dealing with heat related illnesses.

 

[martybegan]

At post 15 I linked to the Florida State law prohibiting local government from requiring employers to provide for worker safety and at post 16 I linked to the Miami-Dade Ordinance that caused the Republicans to enact the state law to begin with.

The problem is not too many laws regarding worker safety in times of extreme heat, it is the dearth of such laws. That is why Miami-Dade passed their initial law, and also why OSHA seeks to pass a new regulation dealing with heat related illnesses.

Actually the law says the State has the power over their laws.

And here is the problem with the law as I read it. Way to much fluff, way too much overreach, and this one in particular.

(f) Ensure that each employee takes an uninterrupted 10-minute recovery period every two hours that the employee is working in an outdoor environment, regardless of the overall length of an employee�s shift.
(i) The employee shall be provided access to shade for every 10-minute recovery period.

Some work areas this is impossible, because it may take the worker time to get to and from the rest or shade.

OSHA won't mandate something like this because they know better.

 

[martybegan]

Actually the law says the State has the power over their laws.

And here is the problem with the law as I read it. Way to much fluff, way too much overreach, and this one in particular.



Some work areas this is impossible, because it may take the worker time to get to and from the rest or shade.

OSHA won't mandate something like this because they know better.

Also, 90 degrees? In Florida?

That's basically all the freaking time. Making supervisors observe "acclimation"?

Implement effective acclimatization practices to promote the physiological adaptations of employees newly assigned or reassigned to work in an outdoor environment, and any employees working in an outdoor environment during a heat wave.
(i) Each employee newly assigned or reassigned to work in an outdoor environment shall be closely observed by a supervisor or designee (which may not be delegated to a coworker or buddy) for the first 14 days of assignment or reassignment.
(ii) For purposes of this paragraph, �heat wave� means any day for which the predicted heat index is at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit and at least ten degrees Fahrenheit higher than the average high daily temperature in the preceding five days.