Despite California's regulations that have already been put in place, labor violations against our farm workers occur every day. As of 2020, there is 1 Spanish speaking Cal/OSHA field inspector for every 192,308 Spanish speaking farmworkers, and none for those who speak Indigenous languages.  As a result, OSHA is unable to consistently enforce health safety standards. 

Farmworkers are constantly at risk of heat related illness because of extreme heat waves and wildfires. Although it is recommended for farmworkers experiencing heat exhaustion to take a break under the shade for a few hours, piece-rate workers are usually discouraged from doing so. Their wage depends on every bin of fruit or vegs harvested during their shift, so they are at risk of a pay cut. Workers under employers who do not enforce this heat illness law will also hesitate to take a needed break in fear of losing their jobs. Consequently, 65 farmworkers have died from heat related illnesses in the past decade.

Farmworkers are also discouraged from seeking medical help when needed, no matter how severe their injury/illness is. About 50% of injuries go untreated due to being forced to work through injuries, fear of pay cuts, and fear of deportation. Employers are at fault as well; many force their employees to work through injury or do not allow them to see a doctor without a pay cut or threat of being replaced. 

You have the power to help make change. Ensure that farm workers have sufficient Cal/OSHA staff that speak their language, strictly enforce heat illness laws, and provide proper consequences for employers who do not follow safety/heath guidelines and who do not fully protect their employees.