McNeill Labor Management Inc.
Outcome
McNeill Labor Management Inc. was cited for OSHA violations and fined $27,655 after a 26-year-old temporary worker from Mexico died of heatstroke on his fourth day of employment while stacking sugar cane in Belle Glade, Florida in 2024 when the heat index reached 97°F at a remote site 22 miles from the nearest hospital.
Details
McNeill Labor Management Inc. — 26-Year-Old Worker Dies of Heatstroke, Day Four on Job (2024)
Outcome: A 26-year-old temporary worker from Mexico died of heatstroke on his fourth day of employment with McNeill Labor Management Inc. while stacking sugar cane at a remote Belle Glade, Florida site when the heat index reached 97°F; OSHA cited the company for failure to implement heat illness prevention and failure to report the hospitalization and fatality within required timeframes; proposed penalty $27,655.
In 2024, a 26-year-old temporary worker from Mexico was employed by McNeill Labor Management Inc. for his fourth day of work at a sugar cane operation near Belle Glade, Palm Beach County, Florida. The worker was sitting atop stacks of sugar cane on a trailer and tossing them to the ground when he began showing heat-related symptoms and collapsed. The heat index at the remote agricultural site had reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit. The nearest hospital was approximately 22 miles away.
OSHA determined that McNeill Labor Management had failed to implement heat illness prevention measures including worker acclimatization protocols for new employees — whose bodies have not yet adjusted to sustained heat — and required work rest schedules. The employer also violated OSHA's injury reporting requirements by failing to report the worker's hospitalization within 24 hours and the fatality within 8 hours as required. OSHA proposed $27,655 in penalties. The company contested the citation.
Primary Source: US Department of Labor cites South Florida contractor after heatstroke death of 26-year-old temporary worker
How Crucible Prevents This
Agricultural and agricultural-adjacent labor contractors supplying temporary workers face compounded vulnerability: workers on day four are not yet acclimatized to heat, do not know where to seek help, and may face language barriers in reporting distress. A Crucible pre-shift heat safety protocol requiring documented acclimatization status for new workers, confirmed water/rest/shade schedule, and heat index threshold action plans would specifically address the combination of new-worker acclimatization failure and remote-site medical response gap that caused this death.
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