AFOP Health & Safety

08/17/2026

🔥 Extreme heat isn’t just uncomfortable—it can be deadly.

New reporting from The New York Times highlights a growing workplace crisis: extreme heat is taking a devastating toll on American workers, with those who labor outdoors—especially agricultural workers—facing some of the greatest risks.

Farmworkers spend long hours harvesting the food that reaches our tables, often under intense sun and dangerous temperatures. Protecting them from heat illness and death means ensuring access to water, rest, shade, training, and meaningful workplace protections.

🌡️ Heat illness is preventable.
🌾 Farmworkers deserve safe working conditions.
💙 No one should have to risk their life to earn a living.

🔗 Read the full story: https://shorturl.at/L7kg3

08/11/2026

08/11/2026

𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳—𝗶𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁. In 1942, the Bracero Program was created to address labor shortages in agriculture. What followed were decades of worker exploitation, low wages, poor living conditions, and weakened bargaining power. Congress ultimately ended the program after determining it was harming workers and no longer served the public interest.

Today, proposals to expand the H-2A guest worker program raise an important question: Are we repeating the same mistakes?

Instead of expanding programs that can leave workers vulnerable to exploitation, we should invest in the people already harvesting America's food by strengthening the National Farmworker Jobs Program, ensuring fair wages, safe working conditions, and opportunities for education and career advancement.

Farm workers deserve opportunity—not history repeating itself.

08/06/2026

☀️ What could permanent Daylight Saving Time mean for agricultural workers?
While many people welcome more evening daylight, the change could have unintended consequences for those who work in agriculture.

🌅 With permanent Daylight Saving Time, sunrise would come later during the winter months, meaning many farm workers could begin their workdays in darkness. This can reduce visibility, increase transportation and workplace safety risks, and make already demanding jobs even more challenging.

On the other hand, lighter evenings could provide more daylight for completing tasks and commuting home.

For agriculture, the debate isn't just about changing the clock—it's about balancing worker safety, productivity, and the realities of seasonal farm work.
As policymakers consider permanent Daylight Savings Time, it's important that the voices and experiences of agricultural workers remain part of the conversation.

08/06/2026

For 11 years, the PERC - Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative has been a driving force in advancing pesticide safety education and protecting agricultural workers across the country. 🌱 It has been a true privilege to witness PERC's growth, celebrate its achievements, and work alongside such a dedicated team over the past eleven years. PERC has helped strengthen agricultural communities, improve worker safety, and expand access to high-quality educational resources that make a lasting difference.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗖'𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀—𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗖'𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Thank you for your leadership, innovation, and unwavering commitment to those who cultivate and feed our nation!💙🌾

Learn more about PERC's incredible impact and anniversary celebration:
https://us5.campaign-archive.com/?u=2df870d349750b8024f4631a3&id=d5d81c0181

07/14/2026

07/04/2026

🎉 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆! ❤️🤍💙 Today we celebrate the spirit of freedom, resilience, and the pursuit of opportunity that shapes our nation. Independence Day is a time to reflect on the sacrifices made for liberty and to honor the workers, families, and communities who continue building a stronger future for all.

As we gather with loved ones, let’s also recognize the essential workers—including farm workers—whose labor helps feed our nation every single day, often without pause, even on holidays. Their dedication is part of the fabric of America.
Wishing everyone a safe, joyful, and meaningful Independence Day filled with gratitude, community, and hope. ❤️🤍💙

07/01/2026

🔥 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 — 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝘂𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀. As brush fires grow more frequent and intense across agricultural regions, farmworkers are often among the first to be affected — and the last to be protected.

While crops burn and smoke fills the air, thousands of farm workers continue working in dangerous conditions to keep food moving from the fields to our tables. But the risks go far beyond flames.
🚨 The dangers farm workers face during brush fires include:
⚠️ Exposure to thick smoke and toxic air, increasing the risk of respiratory illness
⚠️ Extreme heat from both the fire and rising temperatures
⚠️ Limited visibility, making equipment operation more dangerous
⚠️Sudden evacuations with little warning
⚠️ Loss of income when fields shut down or crops are destroyed
⚠️ Mental stress and trauma from working under constant threat

In many agricultural areas, there is no clear system ensuring farm workers are immediately informed when conditions become unsafe. Unlike office workers who can shelter indoors, farm workers are often left directly exposed.

This is why employers must have:
✔️ Real-time emergency communication systems
✔️ Multilingual alerts and evacuation plans
✔️ Clear “stop work” policies tied to air quality and fire proximity
✔️ Supervisors trained to act quickly, not wait until conditions worsen

No worker should have to choose between a paycheck and their life. When brush fires happen, waiting too long to call workers out of the fields can turn a preventable emergency into a tragedy.