PLANT CITY, Fla. — President Joe Biden recently announced heat protections for workers nationwide. This comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis passed a law prohibiting counties or municipalities from adopting their own heat standards.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden announced plans to help protect thousands of workers from extreme weather

  • The plan would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish the nation’s first federal safety standard, which would include developing a response plan to heat illness and implementing rest breaks and providing water and shade

  • Fidel Sanchez is a farmer in Plant City who shares what he does to help keep his workers safe, but he also feels implementing breaks will limit the crop that is picked for the season

Fidel Sanchez, owner of Sanchez Farms in Plant City, heads out to check on his property every morning.

“This time is when it’s extremely hot and there’s a lot of rain, so we can’t really cultivate right now,” he said.

Farming is something he’s been doing for 10 years now.

Sanchez says as the temperatures increase outside, he knows that keeping his employees safe is important. It’s why there are several things he does to protect his workers.

“We always have water available to them, and if someone who is new (who) might not be adjusted to the heat and they don’t feel well, we do send them home,” he said.

But that’s not all: Sanchez has even provided education to his employees to teach them about staying hydrated and what to wear to stay protected.

It’s part of Biden’s plan to keep thousands of employees protected from extreme weather.

This would include a rule that would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish the nation’s first federal safety standard, which would include developing a response plan to heat illness and implementing rest breaks and providing water and shade.

“Ignoring climate change is deadly and dangerous and irresponsible. These climate-fueled extreme weather events don’t just affect people’s lives, they also cost money, they hurt the economy, and they have a significant negative psychological effect on people,” Biden said in an announcement.

Sanchez agrees with the announcement to help keep his workers safe, but he also feels implementing breaks will limit the crop that is picked for the season.

He says it would be an issue many farmers would face.

“It should be something to help workers, but we as farmers also have to think about our crops, because if not, we won’t have the best crop season,” Sanchez said.

He hopes these changes won’t impact his busy crop season and he’ll be pushing for more assistance if it does.

Biden is also taking other measures to protect communities from extreme heat with lowering home energy costs and helping fund access to trees and green spaces.