Florida’s agriculture and construction employers could soon be required to train outdoor workers and managers on avoiding heat-related illnesses under proposed legislation filed earlier this week.
The heat illness prevention bill, sponsored by Orlando Democrat Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, would set a statewide standard for all outdoor workers to be given plenty of drinking water, access to shade and 10-minute rest breaks enforced after every two hours of outside labor.
“We often call the farmworkers the ‘invisible ones’ because what they do is unseen, is unheard,” Smith said. “They do such important work and they’re often forgotten and we want to make sure that we’re protecting [them].”