Heat Exposure, Rest Breaks, Dehydration, and Heat-Related Illness Among Agricultural Workers in Florida Summer Heat

As the earth's temperatures rise, heat is killing workers. This study of 115 agricultural workers in Florida's hot summers examines heat exposures, working conditions, dehydration, and lack of federal heat protection standards. In the summer, the median heat index in Florida, reflecting temperature and humidity, was 95°F. Some agricultural workers worked in a heat index as high as 131°F. The workers had only two daily breaks, on average, significantly less than the federal recommendations. They drank about a third of the recommended beverage consumption, and 66% finished the workday dehydrated. Over the three summer data-collection days, 11% (29) of study participants experienced one or more serious heat-related illness symptoms on the 260 individual data collection days. This study shows that, contrary to the industry's claim, voluntary worker heat protections are not followed, demonstrating the need for enforceable, required heat protections as planetary warming creates unsustainable risks for outdoor workers.