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Uma, a 26-year-old farm worker, died after collapsing in a field last week during a deadly heat wave, officials said.
The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the farm worker’s identity as Dario Mendoza. According to Mendoza’s longtime partner and mother of two, Domini Franco, Mendoza was the father of two young children.
Yuma County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Tania Pavlak said colleagues called for help after seeing Mendoza walk away from work and collapse twice from a suspected heat stroke.
Pavlak said his colleagues had already taken Mendoza to the Yuma Regional Medical Center when the agent arrived. Mendoza died shortly after, at 9:48 a.m. on July 20, Pavlak said. The Yuma County coroner ruled death from heat, Pavlak said.
Temperatures in Yuma were in the mid-90s by 9 a.m. on July 20, hitting a high of 116 degrees, just one degree short of the day’s high of 117 degrees, said Tom Frieders, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Phoenix office.
Frieders said Uma had 11 consecutive days of temperatures above 110 degrees Celsius through July 22, the fourth longest on record.
The Arizona Department of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the farm worker’s death, said Trevor Lakey, spokesman for the Arizona Industrial Commission. Mr. Lakey declined to name the company that hired Mr. Mendoza.
Pavlak said Mendoza worked in an area off South Dome Valley Road near Interstate 8 in the Yuma area. Yuma is a major agricultural region.
Mendoza’s partner, Franco, said Monday: “He was working in the fields and died of heat stroke.”
The family is preparing for Mendoza’s funeral.
“It’s a very difficult time right now,” she said.
Jill Guernsey de Zapien, a professor of public health at the University of Arizona who studies farm workers, said Arizona, unlike California and other states, does not have laws or regulations to protect farm workers from the heat.
Farm workers in Arizona are subject to federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, Guernsey de Zapien said. But these regulations fall short, especially when it comes to working in hot weather, she says.
Federal law requires employers to provide shade, water and rest for farm workers, but the law doesn’t specify how much of each and “it doesn’t say anything about temperature,” Guernsey de Zapien said.
Farmworker advocates have tried to get lawmakers to pass laws to protect farmworkers during the hot months, but to no avail, she said.
Some employers have voluntarily taken steps to protect workers, she said.
“But unless there is a law that can be enforced and set standards for employers, such fatalities will continue,” Guernsey de Zapien said.
Following record heat, Gov. Katie Hobbs on July 17 introduced a new policy giving state regulators new powers to inspect workplaces to make sure employers are providing adequate water, rest and shade for workers in industries with high heat-related illnesses and deaths. Employers face fines for failing to provide workers with adequate water, rest and shade.
The Yuma region is a major producer of winter vegetables, melons, dates, wheat, and beef cattle. Guernsey de Zapien said the area’s main growing season is from fall to spring, but farming operations take place all year round. With temperatures soaring above 110 degrees Celsius in the summer, farm workers are busy preparing the fields for fall planting, including laying and repairing irrigation pipes, she said.
A relative, Ibnis Montoya, go fund me An account to cover funeral expenses and support Franco and his children, Daleina, 5, and Dario Jr., 2.
“A very devoted father who did everything he could to raise his children (Mendoza), he was working in the fields in the extreme heat of Arizona when he suddenly passed out. He was rushed to the hospital, but sadly he was not saved,” the GoFundMe page said.
Some lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to introduce National Occupational Safety and Health Administration heat standards that provide enough water, rest and shade to protect workers from life-threatening heat.
“Climate change is creating scorching temperatures in Arizona and across the nation that are causing workers to collapse or die all too often. Arizona is still experiencing the worst heat wave in centuries and continues to face life-threatening conditions.
Daniel Gonzalez discusses race, equity and opportunity. Here’s where to contact reporters: daniel.gonzalez@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8312.
