40% of farm,construction firms made no heat prevention moves

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 14 - Some 40% of Italian companies in the agricultural, construction, road works and fruit and vegetable nursery sectors have not taken any measures to protect their often migrant workers from the heat of this sweltering near record high summer, Italy's labour inspectorate said Wednesday.
    Migrant farm hands, especially, slave under the hot sun for a pittance across the country, driven by ruthless and sometimes brutal gangmasters.
    Concern has been heightened by the June death of Satnam Singh, an off-the-books 31-year-old Indian farm labourer who bled out after being dumped outside his hut with an arm severed by wrapping machinery placed beside him on a fruit picking box at Latina south of Rome.
    "Our attention is still very high on the phenomenon," said Labour Minister Marina Calderone.
    In the first 10 days of August 294 out of the 736 companies checked did not meet standards on protecting workers form the heat.
    There have been several heat-related worker deaths in Italy in recent years. (ANSA).