MIAMI-DADE, Fla. — Another step forward for new measures to protect people who work outside in the heat.
On Monday, the Miami-Dade County Health Committee decided to pass a heat standard for outdoor workers. It still has to pass a County Board Meeting in October before it's fully adopted.
Yet, outdoor workers left hopeful Monday, as commissioners will now continue to tweak an ordinance that would give breaks for water, the bathroom, and rest. It also asks for more shade and mandatory safety training.
It’s all to ensure those who work in the extreme Miami-Dade heat are protected.
Back in July, while on the job, Efrain Lopez Garcia said he didn’t feel well. The farm worker was found, minutes later, dead. His brother shared his thoughts during a press conference, saying in Spanish, “Like all those who come over here for a better future, they work day to day in the heat, but unfortunately, he died. And so did his dream.”
Fast forward to September, the Miami Dade Community Health Committee is tasked with choosing to adopt their own heat standards, named ‘Que Calor!’
It is something many community members felt passionate about, and dozens vocalized their concerns at a Monday afternoon committee meeting.
After much discussion, the board decided to move this item forward to a full board meeting in October, where it will be tweaked further and potentially meet final approval.
It is something the Farm Workers Association has been spending years working towards. While they are grateful for the step in the right direction, they said there’s still work to be done.
Jeannie Economos, the Pesticide Safety and Environmental Health Project Coordinator with the Farm Workers Association, shared, “It’s one thing to pass it. The second thing is to give buy-in from businesses to implement it.”
The ordinance, as it’s written now, not only gives protections to outdoor workers in the county but provides penalties for those who violate these measures.
The Farm Workers Association said while they're trying to put these protections in the county, they are working on getting similar ordinances enacted across Florida and nationwide.
