California Business, legislators fight for the heat in the workplace

From And WaltersCalmness

This comment was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

In political jargon, “heat” means pressure on politicians to do something that they can be inclined for some reason to do.

But the heat itself, the high temperatures, sometimes in triple numbers that affect internal California every summer, is a political problem with the consequences of life and death.

Assembly A assembly 1336Now in anticipation of the signature or veto of Gavin News Governor, is the latest fight in a decades-long conflict Protect workers from thermal effects For their health, whether they work outdoors or inside.

The measure, if approved, will create a new legal presumption – that workers suffering from heat or injury will be entitled to employee compensation if their employers fail to comply with the standards designed to protect employees from thermal effects.

Newsom’s signature for the bill is not a predictment conclusion. Last year he Impose a veto almost the same measure., Senate Bill 1299Saying: “There is no doubt that climate change leads to an increase in extreme temperatures and that farm workers in California need strong protection against the risk of heat -related disease. However, creating a presumption of heat compensation is not an effective way to achieve this goal.”

Twenty years ago, California saw a team of deaths related to the heat among farm workers leading the administration of former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to accept rules requiring employers to provide clean drinking water, adequate shade and paid vacations for outdoor workers during periods of high heat.

Nevertheless The Union of United Farmers is challenged This shortage of staff and nonhaya management interfere with the state division of professional safety and health, more commonly known as CAL/OSHA, to effectively apply these rules, which leads to exhausting conditions of workers and even death.

Union’s position was supported by a formulated report Issued in July by the state audit parks, exposing the shortcomings of the agency, more special the shortage of adequate staff.

Supporters of the two bills say that they not only seek help for workers with disabled heat, but also hope to make the compensation paid by the employer more accessible spurs organizations to comply with the rules of heat of the state.

Meanwhile, Cal/Osha last year promulgated a new set of rules on indoor jobs, such as warehouses. They will require actions similar to those that affect outdoor workers when indoor temperatures reach 82 degrees.

As Problem with workplace heat boils In California and other states, some federal agencies are considering accepting heat -related protection for their employees. And New study From the Massachusetts -based Institute for Workers Compensation, the California Pioneer Provisions have a dramatic effect on heat -related injuries and diseases.

Previous Institute studies have found that “excessive heat not only causes heat-related diseases such as heat exhaustion, but also disrupts the judgment and perception, the increase in the risk of incidents, such as being hit by machines. The percentage of all injuries between 75 and 80 ° F, they represent 20 to 25 percent of all injuries between 75 and 80 ° F.

The study found that California rules reduced heat-related injuries by 15-17% in construction, 24-27% in agriculture and 19-25% in transport. The strongest effect was when temperatures increased above 95 degrees, and the biggest effect was on young workers.

“These findings offer measurable evidence of how California’s policy reduces the percentage of injuries during exceptional heat and proposes appropriate information to inform the national conversation about workers’ protection,” said Ramona Thanabe, President of the Research Bureau.

However, agricultural and business groups opposed both the heat -related compensation bill. It is said that the worker compensation system is not equipped to set compliance with the Cal/Osha rules of employers.

But if employers do not like this approach to the problem, then they must be ready to do anything they need to strengthen CAL/OSA. In the end, the protection of high heat workers improves not only their lives but also the interests of employers in maintaining productivity. It should not be political football.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.