Can You Say “Work Safely” in Español?
by Todd Briggs
Hispanic workers, especially workers in high-risk industries like construction or agriculture, continue to be disproportionately injured and killed on the job. In 2003, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 791 Hispanic workers were killed on the job, accounting for 14 percent of the 5,559 total deaths that occurred in the United States. The 791 deaths represented a fatality rate 13 percent higher than the rate for all workers.
Are you an employer with a Hispanic workforce in a high-risk industry like construction? Do you need help in reaching out to your Spanish-speaking employees? Are you having difficulty identifying Spanish-language compliance assistance outreach and training materials to give to your Hispanic workers to keep them safe from occupational injury, illness and death? These are just a few of the situations that more and more employers are experiencing today due to the large, and increasing, Hispanic labor force in the United States.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has made immigrant-worker workplace safety a priority within the agency and is committed to identifying ways to improve the safety and health of immigrant and other hard-to-reach workers. OSHA has developed numerous Spanish-language compliance assistance tools and resources designed to assist employers and workers with their Hispanic outreach activities including safety cards, booklets, posters, electronic compliance assistance tools, training and various cooperative programs.
Click on the links to the right for resources to help you work with your Hispanic workers.
Todd Briggs is a Program Analyst with OSHA’s Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs.
OSHA and NFIB signed a national Alliance June 14, 2004, to enhance safety and health throughout the nation's small and independent businesses. As part of this Alliance, OSHA and NFIB are working together to develop and disseminate information through print and electronic media, including electronic assistance tools, publications, safety newsletters and links from OSHA's and NFIB's Web sites.
