California sharply cut its enforcement of heat-protection laws for outdoor laborers while extreme heat has intensified in recent years, endangering farmworkers, construction workers and others who toil in scorching temperatures.
From 2017 to 2023, the number of field inspections conducted by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA, dropped by nearly 30%, according to agency data. The number of violations issued to employers in that period fell by more than 40%.
