Lea este artículo en español aquí The Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHA) of the North Carolina Department of Labor has initiated an inspection of Gracia & Sons LLC following the death of farmworker Juan José Ceballos on July 6 in Johnston County. Ceballos, 32, from Hidalgo, Mexico, was working in North Carolina on an H-2A visa for temporary workers. The incident was reported two days late, on July 8, despite OSHA guidelines requiring fatalities to be reported within eight hours .
According to Erin Wilson, DOL communications director, the OSHA compliance officer began the inspection of the employer on the same day the incident was reported. Tu guía esencial para Trabajadores Agrícolas en Carolina del Norte “As this is an open inspection, that is all the information we can provide at this time,” Wilson said in a written statement to Enlace Latino NC . “We have six months to issue any citations.
” John Chávez, a friend of Ceballos, reported on GoFundMe that a heatwave caused the worker’s death. “Tragically, he suffered a fatal heatstroke while at work,” Chávez said, although authorities have not confirmed this. In North Carolina, there are approximately 15,000 H-2A visa holders annually working in seasonal jobs, including tobacco, cotton, and sweet potato harvesting.
Recibe gratis las noticias más importantes y de utilidad de Carolina del Norte directo en tu celular. Haz preguntas y comentarios, y charla con nuestros periodistas. Summer heat poses serious risks to outdoor workers, including heat stress, dehydration, heat exhaustion, and even death from heat stroke.
Despite these dangers, North Carolina has no heat protection laws. Although OSHA provides guidelines for preventing heat stress , these are only recommendations with limited enforcement power. Fundraiser to repatriate his body to Mexico The company initially promised to cover Ceballos’ medical and funeral expenses and facilitate his return to Mexico, according to Chávez.
However, he claimed they have been unable to contact the company, leaving the family in distress. For this reason, Chávez created a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to help Ceballos’ family, who include two children, ages 11 and 6, and his wife. Ceballos body was sent to Mexico on Saturday July 20.
"I’ll like to thank all of the donators and the money would be sent to his sister, Maricela for funeral expenses in Mexico," Chávez said. Previous legal violations Last year, three North Carolina farmworkers reached a settlement in a lawsuit against agricultural contractors José M. Gracia Harvesting, Inc.
; José M. Gracia; and Gracia & Sons, LLC for allegations of human trafficking and wage theft. The farm, identified as the defendants Gracia in court documents, was ordered to pay the plaintiffs $102,500 plus attorney fees and costs.
The Farmworker Unit of Legal Aid of North Carolina and the North Carolina Justice Center helped represent the plaintiffs.".
