abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Article

3 Feb 2025

Author:
The Washington Post

Farmworkers went unmasked during L.A. fires. That's not supposed to happen.

...Griselda Ellez, who picks leeks in California’s Ventura County, said she had no option but to continue working, even as the Hughes Fire blazed north of Los Angeles last month. She needed the wages for herself and her young son ...

When the fire blanketed Ventura County’s farmlands with smoke in January, casting an orange tint across the region, authorities advised residents to stay indoors and to limit strenuous outdoor activities. But agricultural employees like Ellez continued to work. And many were not provided masks, according to workers and union organizers, even with state laws meant to require them.

...Even in a state with standards meant to protect them from smoke and extreme heat, researchers and advocates say, they often face serious health dangers.

Silvia Salvador, who picks strawberries in Oxnard, said her employer provided masks and protective eyeglasses— but ash still burned her nose and throat. And it was uncomfortable to wear a mask while harvesting strawberries, which requires workers to stoop down for long periods.

Ellez and Salvador work at separate produce farms in the county; both declined to share the names of the farms for fear of retaliation. The Washington Post reviewed photos and videos sent by advocacy groups that showed workers in fields during the wildfires without respirators ...

“We have to suffer so much to earn very little,” Salvador said.

[...]

California is one of three states with regulations protecting workers from wildfire smoke and heat ...

The law, which became permanent in 2021, requires employers to provide workers with respiratory protective equipment such as masks when the Air Quality Index, a measure of outdoor air pollution, is 151 or greater ...

And while they must provide the masks, the standard does not require employers to enforce wearing them —unless the pollution threshold reaches the severe level of 500.

A law that went into effect this year allows agricultural workers to use accrued paid sick leave when local or state governments have declared an emergency.

[...]

Daniel Lopez, a spokesman for Cal/OSHA, said the agency “repeatedly issued” alerts reminding employers of their obligation to protect workers last month, adding that it has not received any complaints to date relating to the Hughes Fire and wildfire smoke. Complaints can be formally filed by any employee, advocacy group or member of the public, according to the agency.

Zucker said there is generally a “huge lack of enforcement” and a gap in how standards are communicated.

Even when protections exist, he said, information might not be accessible to the workers themselves.

[...]

Timeline