Bill > HR4844

This bill establishes new occupational safety and health standards to protect farmworkers from wildfire smoke and excessive heat. Recognizing the increasing risks of wildfires and rising temperatures, the bill requires agricultural employers to provide protective equipment like N95 respirators when air quality becomes dangerous and cooling facilities when temperatures become extreme. Employers must also offer mandatory training to farmworkers in their native language about how to use protective equipment, understand potential health risks, and recognize signs of heat-related illness. The bill mandates rest breaks of at least 10 minutes every hour when air quality or heat reaches dangerous levels, with breaks to be taken in shaded areas with reduced smoke or temperature. The Secretary of Labor is required to develop a comprehensive safety standard within 90 days of the bill's enactment, ensuring protections are at least as robust as existing state standards. The bill also provides for technical assistance to employers, including collaboration with community organizations to develop training materials that address language and literacy barriers. The motivation for the bill is underscored by findings that wildfire seasons have lengthened, average temperatures have risen, and vulnerable outdoor workers are at significant risk, with the bill specifically noting over 100 deaths during a 2021 heat wave, including a farmworker.

Education

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4844/all-info