ORLANDO, Fla. – As we enter the hot summer months, a social organization is pushing for change when it comes to heat safety protections for outdoor workers.
Jeannie Economos with the Farmworkers Association of Florida said the organization has made four attempts at passing laws at the state level to require heat safety precautions for outdoor workers.
“That’s what we’re fighting for, is the will to make the change, to give dignity, respect and safety to the workers, the outdoor workers of the state of Florida,” Economos said.
Some of those precautions include required annual training on heat illness, ensuring cold drinking water is available to all employees and access to shade. Their most recent attempt was during this past legislative session.
[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider]
“This is the fourth time we’ve tried, and we just don’t understand how anybody can possibly think that it’s OK for these workers to be doing this work while the rest of us are in our air-conditioned offices or homes or buildings,” Economos said. “And these people are out there doing the essential work that all of us need.”
News 6 Meteorologist Jonathan Kegges said the humidity plays a big part in what makes the hot weather so dangerous.
“The way your body cools yourself is by sweating,” Kegges said. “And when there’s a lot of extra moisture in the air, the humidity, it becomes harder for your body to cool itself. And when you have these very, very humid days like this, and especially as we go deeper into summer, that’s where it becomes so, so dangerous. It’s hot, but it’s the humidity that’s really going to get you.”
Kegges also said that it doesn’t take long for Florida to reach those high temperatures on a daily basis.
“When the humidity is cranked up like it’s been over these past few days, like it is a lot of times during the summer, it’s already feeling more like the mid to upper 90s even at 8 (a.m.), 9 (a.m.),” Kegges said.
For more information on how to stay safe in the heat, click here.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: