Valley ag employers trained to prevent heat illness

State labor officials were in Easton on Monday to remind agriculture employers about the dangers of heat illness and how to prevent it.

The Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, and 12 agriculture groups sponsored the annual training session on the state’s heat-illness regulations.

The training is aimed at farm labor contractors, supervisors and growers. It focuses on how to comply with the law, along with recognizing heat illness and how to respond.

Training is taking place statewide and is being done in English and Spanish.

“Employers at outdoor work sites must know the steps to take to prevent heat-illness injuries on the job,” said Juliann Sum, chief of Cal/OSHA. “Cal/OSHA continues to focus on training and outreach combined with enforcement targeting those employers who put their workers’ safety at risk.”

California’s heat-illness regulations were enacted in 2006 after a series of farmworker deaths because of heat illness.

As part of the law, employers of outdoor workers are responsible for training their employees and supervisors on heat-illness prevention. They also must provide fresh water; access to shade; closely observe employees during heat spikes; and have written procedures for complying with the regulations.

Cal/OSHA officials said the most frequent violation is failure to have a proper written heat-illness plan.

Among the agriculture groups involved in the training sessions are the Nisei Farmers League, the California Fresh Fruit Association and the Fresno County Farm Bureau.

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 3:12 PM with the headline "Valley ag employers trained to prevent heat illness."