News You Can Use: OSHA Investigating Complaints Over No Water, No Breaks

The OSHA is looking into complaints that construction workers at a Formula 1 racetrack in Elroy, TX, were not being provided breaks or water while working in temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Greg Casar of the Workers Defense P

roject, an Austin, TX-based group that advocates for workers’ safety, says the group has received several complaints from workers who had suffered in the heat because of no breaks and no water. The Workers Defense Project promptly called OSHA to investigate.

Federal law mandates that employers provide water for workers. In hot and especially, hot and humid conditions, workers should be drinking at least eight ounces of water every 15 minutes.

“We see that the lack of rest breaks, lack of water and harsh working conditions are regular in Austin’s construction industry,” Casar told TV station KVUE. “We found that over 40 percent of construction workers have not received a rest break other than lunch and almost one-third of workers aren’t receiving any water from their employers.”

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