WASHINGTON - July 19, 2016 - PRLog -- Every year, thousands of outdoor workers suffer from a heat-related illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, farmworkers die from heat-related illness at a rate 20 times greater than that of the entire U.S. civilian workforce. Yet, with appropriate steps, heat-related illness is preventable and fatalities are easily avoided. AFOP's Health & Safety Programs seek to save lives and preserve health, providing farmworkers and agricultural employers with the knowledge they need to make healthy decisions in the field.
As part of the OSHA Water-Rest-Shade Heat Stress Prevention Campaign to prevent heat-related illness among outdoor workers, AFOP Health & Safety has chosen the week of July 17-23, 2016 to highlight its efforts on heat stress prevention education by sponsoring the annual national Heat Stress Prevention Training Marathon Week.
During this week, our goal is to train over 1,000 farmworkers on heat stress prevention. All trainings will be free of charge in the following states, including Puerto Rico:
· Telamon Corporation Alabama (334) 792-5230
· Telamon Corporation North Carolina (919) 851-7611
· Telamon Corporation Georgia (919) 851-7611
· Telamon Corporation MD/DE (919) 851-7611
· Telamon Corporation Virginia (919) 851-7611
· Proteus, Inc. California (559) 735-3670
· Proteus Inc. Nebraska (559) 735-3670
· Proteus, Inc. Iowa (559) 735-3670
· Proteus Inc. Indiana (765) 450-4270
· PathStone Corporation New Jersey (856) 696-1000
· PathStone Corporation New York (585) 340-3300
· PathStone Corporation Ohio (419) 875-6654
· PathStone Corporation Puerto Rico (787) 812-4250
· PathStone Corporation Pennsylvania (856) 696-1000
· HELP-New Mexico, Inc. (419) 875-6654
· OIC Yakima - NFJP (509) 665-3719
· ORO Development Corporation (405) 840-7077
· Illinois Migrant Council (312) 663-1522
Due to the nature of farm work, working outdoors in extreme temperatures and the physical exertion required, AFOP Health & Safety is urging farmworkers to take the preventative measures to ensure their safety. People suffer heat-related illness when their bodies are unable to compensate and cool themselves properly.
Extreme heat affects everyone. Prevention is extremely important to maintaining a healthy well-being. It is imperative to take action to avoid deaths related to heat. "Drinking water, staying cool and informed are just a few of the things we should do to stay safe and healthy," states Melanie Forti, Health & Safety Programs Director, AFOP.
AFOP's Farmworker Health & Safety Training program has a network of 204 trainers that provide multiple occupational health and safety training topics to the farmworker community. From January to June 2016, trainers have dedicated over 9,000 hours to train 21,967 farmworkers.
The Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP) is a non-profit, national federation of 52 non-profit and public agencies that provide training and employment services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for all farmworkers and their families through advocacy, education, and training. For additional comment or an interview, please contact Melanie Forti at 202-384-1771 or forti@afop.org.
To follow the Heat Stress Prevention Training Marathon Week progress, statistics, pictures and more, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or search for the following hashtags: #HSPTM2016 #heatstressprevention #SusanHarwoodGrant.
Contact
Melanie Forti, Health & Safety Programs Director
***@afop.org
Photos: (Click photo to enlarge)
Read Full Story - National Heat Stress Prevention Campaign | More news from this source
Press release distribution by PRLog
