Guerrero Ag LLC
Outcome
Guerrero Ag LLC was cited for OSHA violations and fined $30,651 after a 41-year-old farmworker collapsed from heat stroke and died three days later while harvesting oranges at Alico Farms in Arcadia, Florida in December 2023 when the heat index reached 92°F.
Details
Guerrero Ag LLC — Farmworker Dies of Heat Stroke During Orange Harvest (2023–2024)
Outcome: A 41-year-old farmworker employed by Guerrero Ag LLC collapsed with heat stroke and died three days later after harvesting oranges at Alico Farms in Arcadia, Florida in December 2023; OSHA cited the labor contractor for failing to protect workers from heat illness, failure to provide first aid training, and failure to report the hospitalization and fatality within required timeframes; proposed penalty $30,651.
In December 2023, a 41-year-old farmworker employed by Guerrero Ag LLC was harvesting oranges at Alico Farms in Arcadia, DeSoto County, Florida. The heat index that day reached approximately 92 degrees Fahrenheit. The worker "displayed difficulty talking and appeared disoriented before becoming unresponsive" — classic symptoms of heat stroke. The worker was hospitalized and died three days later in intensive care.
OSHA's investigation found that Guerrero Ag had exposed workers to hazardous heat conditions on three separate workdays, lacked first aid training protocols for employees working in locations without nearby medical facilities, and — critically — had failed to report the worker's hospitalization to OSHA within the required 24-hour window and failed to report the death within the required 8-hour window. OSHA proposed $30,651 in penalties and determined that adequate heat illness prevention measures including water provision, scheduled rest breaks, shade access, and worker acclimatization to heat could have prevented the death.
Primary Source: US Department of Labor cites Arcadia farm labor contractor after farmworker's fatal heat illness during orange harvest
How Crucible Prevents This
Agricultural heat illness is the most underreported category of occupational fatality in field crop operations. A Crucible pre-shift heat safety protocol requiring documented heat index monitoring, confirmed water/rest/shade provision, and worker acclimatization compliance before any field harvest work is authorized would directly address the absence of preventive measures that OSHA found here. The employer's failure to report either the hospitalization (within 24 hours) or the fatality (within 8 hours) also indicates a culture of non-reporting that compliance logging would interrupt.
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