By Bob Walsh
As someone who worked in the CA prison system for 24
years I can appreciate that some of the work rules that apply in the
real world are not reasonably applicable to the prison environment. For
instance, you wouldn't believe how many OSHA regs would be broken by
prison gun towers.
One of
the more interesting ones is heat exposure for workers, both civil
service and inmate employees. It is (or at least was and as far as I
know still is) a violation of state law to air condition inmate housing
areas other than medical housing. Also a lot of other areas, like
classrooms, are not air conditioned. Not only does this effect the
prisoners but it effects the civil service people who are stuck there.
Right
now in CA workers, both indoor workers and outside workers, have some
protection from unreasonable heat exposure. If the temperature outdoors
goes above stated ranges for stated periods of time, shade and cold
water must be provided. For indoor workers there is now similar
protection. The CA prison system is specifically exempt from these
protections.
The loudest
screamers over this seem to relate to race. About 2/3 of CA prisoners,
and more than half of CA prison workers, are other than White. I
confess I am unsure that the issue is racism based. I tend to believe
it is more like "prisoners have nothing coming" and the prison workers
kind of get caught in the mix. As someone who has been on the main yard
when it was 116, or in a tower when it was 110, I can appreciate the
issue. I have noted that many of the gun towers are now air
conditioned. That is rather nice, and fairly cheap as well. Other
areas, it is (presumably) still an issue. I have been out for close to
20 years now, so my interest is primarily academic.
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