A Nash County sweet potato farm is being fined over $187,000 following the death of one of its workers last year, the North Carolina Department of Labor reported.

The DOL began an inspection of state Occupational Safety and Health standards on Sept. 6, 2023, after the death of José Alberto Gonzalez Mendoza. Before his death, the 30-year-old had passed out on Sept. 5 while picking sweet potatoes from apparent heat exhaustion.

Barnes Farming Corp., located in the town of Spring Hope, was cited with the maximum penalties of three serious violations — one of them designated as “willful” — of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of North Carolina, according to a news release. The total penalty is $187,509.

The OSHA citation and penalty documents say the “willful serious” violation was due to the following reasons:

• Workers were exposed to heat-related hazards, including working in 91-degree heat without an established “work/rest schedule for high-heat conditions.”
• Workers were only allowed to take one five-minute break in a six-hour workday.
• There was not an adequate supply of drinking water for workers.
• The employer did not allow the migrant H-2A workers an acclimatization period so that they could get used to the heat.
• Workers were not trained on reporting emergencies, first aid procedures and procedures for dealing with symptoms of heat-related illnesses.

An attorney representing Barnes Farming acknowledged the Department of Labor’s release and said in an email that the company would issue a statement in response...