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Summers in Florida can be brutally hot and uncomfortable, with the humidity and high temperatures creating the ideal conditions for heat stroke and other health risks. For those who are outdoor workers, this creates an extra level of risk on the job.
At Ara Work Injury Law, we help those who are suffering from a wide range of such injuries, providing you with the guidance you need to recover damages fairly for what you have had to deal with. As a noted local construction injury attorney in South Florida, you can expect Ara Work Injury Law to provide you with exceptional support as you navigate your rights.
Know the Risks of Heat-Related Injuries
The heat is a threat to a person’s health and wellbeing. In fact, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that, from 1992 to 2022, 986 workers died from exposure to heat across all industries. That is about 34 people dying every year. Keep in mind that the construction industry accounts for about 34% of those deaths each year.
Anyone who engages in employment as an outdoor worker could face such risks. Some examples that OSHA warns are high-risk jobs related to heat risk, especially in high-temperature areas like Florida, include the following:
- Agricultural industry jobs
- Construction industry jobs
- Utility workers
- Fire protection and prevention services
- Landscaping workers
- Recreation and amusement workers
- Oil and gas workers
- Building material suppliers
If you work in one of these industries or in a related field where you spend a great deal of time outdoors, it is critical that you know your rights.
Know Your Florida Outdoor Worker Rights
Florida laws provide that employers must provide safe conditions for workers to avoid any type of heat-related illness or injury. Employees have the right to a safe and healthy workplace under OSHA standards. To provide safe work conditions, employers may need to take steps such as:
- Offering more breaks to workers
- Providing access to shaded areas whenever possible
- Ensuring access to cool water
- Providing proper training for recognizing the signs of heat stroke
- Minimizing work on days when temperature indexes are too high or unsafe
- Limiting the amount of time worked during 10 to 2, when the sun is at its most intense level
In addition, employers are responsible for monitoring conditions and providing solutions when a person’s risk of heat-related injury increases. Prevention and action when there is a risk are critical, not just for comfort but also for saving a life.
A Plan for Help Is Essential for Outdoor Workers
When conditions are hot and humid in Jupiter or the surrounding areas, employers need a strategy to recognize an employee’s need for immediate help and to get it. This includes educating employees, but also means providing careful management of a worker’s overall health and well-being. This means:
- Monitoring conditions for all employees
- Having the necessary first aid resources available to help quickly
- Knowing how and when to call emergency services
For outdoor workers, a heat exhaustion work injury can be life-threatening, and it can come on quickly. If you are an outdoor employee and you are not sure what steps and prevention methods your employer has in place to protect you, ask questions. If they fail to provide you with answers, demand them. The implications of heat stroke can include lasting injuries and losses. You have the right to remain protected.
Employer Liability: What Your Employer Must Do
The ideal solution is to avoid the onset of risk. That means having a strategy in place to minimize and eliminate the risk that an employee suffers from a heat-related injury or illness. However, if you are a victim and you are now facing a heat exhaustion work injury, it is critical to know what your employer must do and what your own responsibilities are.
- Get medical care first. In cases of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, it is critical to move to a shaded area and call 911 for immediate help.
- If you are okay with it, notify your employer of how you are feeling and find out where you should go to get care. If it is an emergency situation, call 911 and go where they take you.
- Document your injuries and missed time at work from that moment forward. Be sure to keep records of your losses, including any medical bills you receive, copayments, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket expenses.
- Your employer must allow you to file a claim for your losses. This includes medical expenses related to your injury and time missed at work if that extends beyond 7 days.
- You should not go back to work until your doctor tells you to do so. Your employer must be able to provide you with time off if you are hurt on the job due to heat-related illness.
Seek out the help of an attorney at this point. Florida outdoor worker rights must be taken seriously. In situations where your employer refuses to file a workers’ compensation claim for your losses or they refute that you were suffering such symptoms, let our legal team go to work to build a strong case for you. We will pursue full and fair compensation under Florida outdoor worker rights, protecting your future as we go.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Construction Injury Attorney in South Florida Now
Our goal is always to protect Florida outdoor workers’ rights. If you have missed work because of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or related complications, seek out the help of our attorneys. Let us investigate and build a comprehensive claim that eliminates your risks of not being treated fairly under the law. Contact Ara Work Injury Law now for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your heat exhaustion or stroke, the other losses you have, and your employer’s negligence. Call us at 561.934.3272 | 561.9343.ARA, if you have been injured in a Florida work-related accident, including those related to outdoor exposure to heat.
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