Hottest Day Of The Week Forces Farmworkers, Students To Take Extra Precautions
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Farmworkers and students in the Santa Maria Valley took different approaches to deal with the heat today.
Safety factors into those strategies to varying degrees.
Multiple schools moved lunch hours and P.E. classes indoors as a precaution.
“We’re always making sure that our kids health and safety and also our staff’s health and safety is our number one priority,” says Heather Paige, Principal At Fesler Junior High School.
School officials say heat advisories are rare for Santa Maria.
“This would be a normal thing on a rainy day,” says Paige. “But since we haven’t experienced that yet, they’re experiencing it today with the heat advisory.”
Meanwhile, farmworkers make up one of the highest risk populations for heat related dangers.
“We’ve had testimonies of folks passing out, heat exhaustion, dehydration, heat stroke in some very, very grave cases,” says Eric Ramirez, policy advocate for CAUSE of Santa Maria.
They must take extra steps to protect themselves while working in the sun.
“Oftentimes the biggest priority for a lot of growers is making sure that their crop gets off of the plant,” says Ramirez.
For farm workers, California state law mandates the provision of refrigerated water, an extra five minute break every two hours, and areas of shade for those breaks.
“It’s a pretty tough situation,” says Ramirez. “There’s different priorities on different ends. And oftentimes workers’ safety and workers’ health isn’t the top priority for folks.”
Agricultural workers are in the fields daily rain or shine to meet the demands of the county and beyond.
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