Last July, U.S. Postal Service carrier Peggy Frank was found dead after overheating in her mail truck in Woodland Hills. On that record-breaking 117-degree day, the 63-year-old North Hills resident died on July 6 of hyperthermia, or abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of the body to deal with the heat coming from the environment.
Following her death, the Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration launched an investigationinto her death, ultimately citing the U.S. Postal Service for violations totaling nearly $150,000.
One year after Frank’s death, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, has introduced federal legislation that protects workers in hot conditions.
The Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act — named for a worker who died a preventable death from heat stroke after working for 10 hours straight in 105-degree temperatures — requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to establish a federal requirement that workers in hot conditions have paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water and limitations on how long they can be exposed to heat. The bill is named after a worker who died from heatstroke after working 10 hours straight in 105-degree temperatures. It would cover the U.S. Post Office, where Peggy Frank worked, according to representatives from Chu’s office.