A contractor is facing thousands in proposed penalties after a 41-year-old employee collapsed while harvesting oranges at a Florida farm and died of heatstroke, federal labor officials announced.
The farm worker’s death was preventable, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The department cited Guerrero Ag LLC, a labor contractor based in Arcadia, over exposing employees to dangers associated with heat while they worked at Alico Farms in December 2023, when the employee died, the department said in a June 26 news release.
“Had Guerrero Ag developed and implemented an effective heat illness prevention plan, this worker’s life could have been saved,” Danelle Jindra, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s area office director in Tampa, said in a statement.
OSHA has proposed $30,651 in penalties for “serious violations” on three consecutive days, according to officials.
Guerrero Ag didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on June 28.
From Dec. 2-4, the contractor’s employees worked outside performing “heavy manual labor” for several hours while wearing “long sleeves, long pants and a hat” at Alico Farm’s orange grove, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The employee who died showed signs of heatstroke while picking oranges, including struggling to talk and appearing disoriented before he collapsed, officials said.
The heat index reached about 92 degrees on Dec. 4, the day the worker collapsed, according to officials.
A heat index between 90 and 105 degrees can lead to “sunstroke, heat cramps and heat exhaustion with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity,” the National Weather Service says.
After collapsing, the worker was hospitalized and died on Dec. 7, according to OSHA’s citations against Guerrero Ag. The employee spent three days in intensive care, officials said.
That day, the contractor’s employees worked about eight to nine hours outside, according to OSHA.
Other employees experienced heat cramps and exhaustion on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, the list of citations says.
Guerrero Ag is accused of “not providing first-aid training to employees working in an area without an infirmary, clinic or hospital,” officials said.
The contractor also did not report the employee’s hospitalization within 24 hours, or their death within the required eight hours, according to the Department of Labor.
“Employers must take action to protect employees from workplace hazards, including heat hazards both outdoors and indoors, to prevent another tragic and preventable death,” Jindra said.
Guerrero Ag has 15 days to pay the penalties, request an informal meeting with OSHA or contest OSHA’s findings after the company receives the citations, according to officials.
Arcadia is about a 90-mile drive southeast from Tampa.
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