Florida Democrats say a statewide fever for outdoor workers as an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times found that far more Florida workers died of fever than officials know. We propose protection.
“It’s atrocities and tragedy,” D-ST. Petersburg introduced the bill to the Senate on Wednesday. “We need to implement these types of regulations,” four other Democrats introduced a companion bill in the House.
Florida is one of the hottest states in the country, which can punish humidity and make it difficult for the body to cool down. Currently, neither the state nor federal governments need similar protection measures for high school athletes, but do not have thermal safety standards to protect workers from high temperatures.
Some lawmakers who co-sponsor the Heat Prevention Bill are calling for the repeal of the law passed last year.
House minority leaders Fentris Driskel and D Tampa are also supporting the abolition of the preemptive law.
“This is a problem that has been brought about by the sudden mitigation by the number of deaths, both known. “This loose regulatory environment means that employers will avoid this and do not protect workers by doing the right thing. It makes it possible to do this.”
Proponents of the ban at the time said businesses and federal regulators could keep workers safe. However, it turns out that authorities have missed more than half of the statewide worker deaths over the past decade.
Neither Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the ban last April, nor Republican sponsors responded to requests for comment.
No lawmakers have yet to introduce a bill to repeal the 2024 law.
“The federal government is being used as an excuse,” Luson said. “We understand that employers want the standard and don’t want to change from location to location – we’ll create Hodge Podge regulations, which is why we need statewide standards.”
The proposed thermal safety bill will create a program that trains businesses and outdoor employees with heat signs. In addition to providing water, employers should also provide shade and 10-minute breaks every two hours on hot days.
Promoting statewide protection is nothing new. Lawmakers on either side of the aisle have sponsored the bill in almost identical language for many years.
But D-Orlando MP Anna Eskamani said the Times findings “emphasized the urgency” of this year’s law.
“I think this issue is often tied to the interests of large corporations, and they see it as a burden,” Eskamani said. “I argue that when I have a healthy work environment, I’m going to save money because I avoid things like worker comps and avoid lawsuits.”
Extreme heat is more deadly than any other natural disaster that plagues the United States, killing more people each year than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined.
Employers are to notify the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which oversees worker safety, of the employee’s death within a few hours. However, the Times has identified 19 additional heat-related deaths that have more than doubled the multiple of fever-related deaths for official Florida workers.
Many were younger. At least a handful died in their first week at work, unfamiliar with Florida’s stifling heat and humidity. About half were immigrants.
