"‘Working here is hell’: latest death of farm worker in 40C heat shocks Italy,"

Italy has been shocked by reports of the “brutal” treatment of migrants working on farms across the country and the death of a flower picker in temperatures of about 40C (104F). Tens of thousands of migrants have been taking to fields to pick tomatoes and other crops across Italy at the same time as the country has been engulfed in consecutive heatwaves since the middle of June...

Sweltering heat has brought a new and deadly risk to low-paid workers toiling outdoors to pick fruit and vegetables.

Dalvir Singh, who worked on a flower farm, is thought to have died from a combination of extreme summer heat and a heavy workload. The 54-year-old was found dead on 16 August in a field near the city of Latina in central Italy. Colleagues who spoke to the Guardian said that he had never been sick and was a “kind man who always worked hard”...

The results of an autopsy are expected next month with local prosecutors still investigating the circumstances of Singh’s death and whether precautions for workers exposed to heat were taken by his employer...

The Italian health and safety body has said in the past that accidents at work attributable to the heat are almost never classified as such, rather as fainting, falls or something similar.

Most of those working in fields in the summer heat are migrants from countries including India and sub-Saharan Africa...

Many workers live in ghettoes and abandoned buildings, with their employment controlled by gangmasters who recruit and keep part of their wages, say unions.

Activists in Italy said bosses and gangmasters who exploit workers have no problem forcing them to work in any heat condition, with many doing shifts lasting 10-14 hours a day...