California heat wave kills three employees

California’s searing heat wave, which has claimed more than 100 lives, according to The New York Times, has also been responsible for three work-related deaths that Cal/OSHA is investigating.

A 67-year-old driver for MJ’s Pizza in Santa Rosa was found in his vehicle suffering from heat stroke on July 24. His identity has not been released.

Two other heat-related deaths occurred to workers on July 19 and 20. In Bakersfield, 38-year-old Joaquin Ramirez, an employee of Raul Hidalgo Lawn Services, died after only three days on the job. He was loading grass clippings onto a truck when he collapsed. In Fresno, Benadino Gomez, who was working for Valley Pool and Plastering, died while working in 109º temperatures.

Heat-related deaths last summer prompted California to enact emergency heat illness prevention regulations, which haven’t been finalized, but will become the nation’s first mandatory precautions to protect outdoor workers from heat illness. The regulations, geared toward protecting California agricultural workers, will provide them with:

• Provision of water: Drinking water needs to be provided in sufficient quantity at the beginning of the work shift to provide one quart (four cups) per employee per hour for the entire shift.
• Provision of shade: Employees suffering from heat illness or in need of a preventative recovery period must be provided with shade for a period of no less than five minutes.
• Training: Employees and supervisors must be trained on how to recognize, prevent and respond to heat illness, its early symptoms, and risk factors for its occurrence.