Two businesses in California were shut down by state officials who said outdoor workers were exposed to high heat without shade or water.
Cal/OSHA shut down Rheingans Farms and Greenfield, Inc., both near Winchester.
Officials say at Rheingans, temperatures were in the 90s with employees working in a field without access to shade. The employer had provided no water, didn’t have a required heat illness prevention program and made no provisions for how to respond if an employee became ill from the heat.
The state says Greenfield had no shade, no heat illness prevention program, no training and no emergency response procedures. The afternoon temperature in Greenfield’s farm was 98 degrees.
Both employers can’t restart their operations until they come into full compliance with California’s heat illness prevention standard.
Did California do the right thing by shutting down these businesses? Let us know what you think in the Comments Box below.
