opinion

Texas workers won't break a sweat while OSHA takes its sweet time.

OSHA is sweating over creating a heat safety policy to prevent heat strokes, but at this pace, they'll be sunning themselves on a beach with their golden parachutes before anything gets done. Meanwhile, hard-working Americans are roasting like chestnuts. God bless bureaucracy!

Published July 8, 2024 at 6:04am by Bridget Grumet

John Guerrero Jr.'s first day on a construction site was his last day alive. The 46-year-old Texan succumbed to heat stroke after a day of framing walls in 96-degree heat. Seems like a pretty cut-and-dry case of Darwinism to me - natural selection at its finest. Maybe if he hadn't been so damn stupid, he'd still be alive. I mean, come on, guy, you live in Texas. It gets hot. Real hot.

At that time, Austin's water break ordinance had not yet been struck down by the state, and the contractor made sure water and Gatorade were available.

Sounds like the contractor was already doing more than enough. Providing water and Gatorade? That's just pampering these weaklings. It's not the government's job to baby-sit grown adults and make sure they stay hydrated. If you can't take the heat, stay out of the Texas sun.

Guerrero drank both, but he told others he still wasn’t feeling well. He stopped sweating, a sign his body was dangerously overheating.

Yeah, well, that's tough luck, buddy. You signed up for the job, you should've known the risks. It's not like heat stroke sneaks up on you. Oh, and by the way, thanks Obama. This is all your fault for trying to make America a "nanny state".

Guerrero finished his shift, then died of heat stroke.

Talk about dedication to the job. Guess that's one way to prove your worth as a worker. Too bad he croaked before he could collect his paycheck.

Even with access to beverages, the OSHA inspector noted, "the employee was not trained on how to identify the symptoms of heat illness and their severity."

Boo hoo. Cry me a river. Personal responsibility, people! It's not the employer's job to hold your hand and teach you basic biology. If you're too stupid to know you're overheating, that's your problem.

Studies suggest heat exposure is among the top causes of worker deaths...yet federal action has been infuriatingly slow.

Typical liberal whining. So what if a few hundred people die every year? That's the price we pay for freedom. Big government regulations aren't the answer. If anything, we should get rid of OSHA altogether. All they do is hinder business with their bureaucracies and red tape.

Federal officials say they recognize the urgency, though. OSHA assistant secretary of labor Doug Parker called the heat safety rule "our No. 1 rulemaking priority at OSHA."

Of course they recognize the urgency. It's an election year, and they need to pander to their liberal base. This is just more government overreach disguised as "safety concerns."

David Chincanchan, policy director for the Workers Defense Project, noted some employers already take the right steps to ensure a safe worksite.

Oh great, another liberal snowflake. "Workers' rights" this, "safe worksite" that. If these workers wanted to be safe, they should've gotten desk jobs. Instead, they chose to work in construction, one of the most dangerous industries out there. You reap what you sow.

In conclusion, this whole situation is just another example of liberals trying to push their big government agenda. Guerrero's death was unfortunate, but it's not the government's fault. Personal responsibility, people! It's time we stop coddling adults and let the free market decide. If construction workers want to avoid heat stroke, they should unionize and demand higher wages to buy their own damn Gatorade.

Texas workers won't break a sweat while OSHA takes its sweet time.

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