Sur Legal Collaborative

Suffering from extreme heat at work and your employer refusing to take action to protect you and your coworkers? Here’s a quick guide that will help you describe and report an unsafe work environment. ⚠️

Do you have access to clean drinking water, shade, training on heat symptoms and how to respond to them, and emergency medical care? If your employer fails to ensure these and you have experienced or witnessed employees suffering heat-related illnesses, this post is for you! 🌡️



*The information contained in this guide is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter.*

In a new U.S. Chemical Safety Board safety video, the failures of Foundation Food Group to to ensure the safety of employees in the 2021 Gainesville, Georgia poultry processing plant nitrogen leak is explained, with 5 key safety issues that marked this traumatic tragedy of employer negligence.

The irresponsibility of FFG to properly ensure safeguards and training on the use and dangers of nitrogen in poultry processing profoundly changed the lives of those affected, their loved ones, and the Gainesville community.

This nitrogen leak is where we began our critical work for immigrant workers, standing up for their rights to safe workplaces and their right to speak up when their lives are at risk or in danger. We fight so that another devastating case like this never happens again.

Federal investigations by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) and OSHA revealed extreme safety neglect by FFG management in area of safety:
• Single Point of Failure
• Atmospheric Monitoring and Alarm Systems
• Emergency Preparedness
• Process Safety Management Systems, and
• Product Stewardship

This week marked the opening of a critical, alarming round of deregulatory hearings aimed at dismantling core health and safety protections for working people.

OSHA has proposed a series of deregulatory changes affecting things like respirators, toxic chemicals, asbestos, lead, construction illumination, COVID-19 protections in healthcare, and fall protection on fixed ladders.

If you work in these industries, this could affect you! We’re tuned in closely watching these crucial rulemaking hearings and strategizing how to best stand up for workers against these attempts to delegitimize their rights to important safety protections. The next hearings will be taking place on August 24, August 25, and August 26! You can tune in live at 9:30AM (ET) on any of these listed dates at www.osha.gov/deregulatory-rulemaking

On Friday, August 14, we distributed free water, electrolytes, and information produced by our team and National COSH on preventing heat stress as part of our National Week of Heat Action work! Workers who face extreme heat on the job deserve provisions like water, shade, rest, shade, cooling, and acclimatization.

While our team members were out distributing materials under the Georgia sun, many of those that we reached seemed relieved to be receiving water on this especially hot day. We were asked about how workers can stay up to date on their rights and stay safe at work, and we also heard interest in our upcoming Heat Stress Prevention Training on August 20th!

Standing up for immigrant and low-wage workers, who are among the most vulnerable to retaliation for speaking up about their exploitative or dangerous conditions at work, is part of standing up for the human rights of ALL. You can support our work by donating at the link in our bio, and equip yourself with the tools to make change at your workplace and in your community with National COSH’s Heat Organizing Toolkit!

It’s chic to care and do your part to advocate for immigrants and workers, especially when their rights are threatened by new attacks daily! We all have legal rights and deserve fair treatment, free of exploitation and abuse. The girls that get it, get it 🦋

Join us in making a better, more chic future possible for Georgia 💅🩷

Happy National Week of Action for Heat Justice! 🌡️

We invite you to join us next Thursday, August 20th, for a very important virtual heat stress prevention training that will anyone can join online by registering at the QR code provided. If you care about your safety and the safety of your community as we face extreme heat in the state of Georgia and across the country, we hope to see you there!



¡Feliz Semana Nacional de Acción por la Justicia ante el Calor! 🌡️

Te invitamos a unirte a nosotros el próximo jueves 20 de agosto para una importante capacitación virtual sobre prevención del estrés por calor. Cualquier persona puede participar en línea registrándose con el código QR proporcionado. Si te preocupa tu seguridad y la de tu comunidad ante el calor extremo que azota el estado de Georgia y todo el país, ¡te esperamos!

You can hear from us live on the radio and online soon!

Tune in to Closer Look with Rose Scott today on 90.1FM or listen on WABE.org WABE at 12pm to hear directly from our team about how we are making a difference and standing up for immigrant workers in this extremely challenging moment for labor and immigration rights.