Safety is Seguridad A Workshop Summary (2003) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix F: White Paper on Reaching Spanish-speaking Workers and Employers with Occupational Safety and Health Information
Appendix F: White Paper on Reaching Spanish-speaking Workers and Employers with Occupational Safety and Health Information
Pages 93-112
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From page 93... ...
In addition, while "Spanish-speaking" does not necessarily mean "immigrant," this paper will focus much attention on the Latino immigrant population for two reasons: (1) a high percentage ofthe population in this country whose primary language is Spanish are recent immigrants from Latin America; and (2)
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From page 94... ...
It should be noted that this group of immigrants is primarily composed of recent immigrants from Mexico and Central America and may not be representative ofthe Latino population ofthe area as a whole. However, it is representative ofthe recent Latino immigrant population, which is likely to be working in the highest risk jobs in this country.
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From page 95... ...
Again, these differences would be starker if we narrowed the focus to those whose primary language is Spanish. In addition, an important factor affecting the health and safety of immigrant workers is the dislocation in occupational circumstances caused by immigration itself, as explained by Eduardo Siqueira, who has studied these issues extensively: 2 Immigrant Workers at Risk: A Qualitative Study of Hazards faced by Latino Immigrant Construction Workers in the Triangle Area of North Carolina, Norm Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Project, June, 2000.
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From page 96... ...
This is not only a function of more children in the average Hispanic family but also reflects a substantially higher proportion in the 18-24 year range, a group likely to be working and particularly vulnerable to workplace hazards.4 Census data corroborate the widespread impression that a great many young men in their teens and twenties often with little prior work experience, come to the UnitedStates from Mexico and Central America seeking work. In addition, there is much anecdotal evidence that teenaged Hispanic males frequently add a few years to their reported age when applying for work, in order to gain jobs from which minors are barred.
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From page 97... ...
This group is composed predominantly of recent immigrants with little formal education, occupying low-wage and often hazardous jobs in such industries as meat processing, construction, and textile and apparel manufacturing. The Spanish-language literacy level of this population is likely to be relatively low, on average, given the relatively low level of average education.
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From page 98... ...
Day laborers are at high risk for occupational injuries because of their limited access to Occupational Safety and Health training and frequent mobility, among other reasons. The OSHA office has established a partnership in which OSHA staff, professional trainers from construction companies and fall-protection-equipment manufacturers, and local worker safety advocates come to the Roswell site and present full-day safety trainings.
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From page 99... ...
If another fam~lycareg~ver is not available, it is common for Hispanic women to attend events accompanied by their children. Providing child care at training sites not only increases the likelihood that women workers will be able to attend but also increases their ability to participate in the sessions without the distractions of their children's presence.
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From page 100... ...
One survey found that in the 1998 California referendum on the anti-union Proposition 226, 75 percent of Latinos opposed the measure, compared to only 53.5 percent of non-Latinos.7 Many unions have, in fact, established effective health and safety training programs for Latino immigrants and have produced quality training and educational materials in Spanish. Some of the international unions that have been particularly active in this area are the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
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From page 101... ...
A As noted above, the educational and literacy levels of a substantial segment of the Latino immigrant worker population in the United States are limited. Thus, it is critical to reach out to these groups using strategies that do not rely exclusively on written materials.
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From page 102... ...
However Paining should not only tee about increasing knowledge among workers, but about changing this power differential." Immigrant Workers at Risk: A Qualitative Study of Hazards Faced by Latino Immigrant Construction Workers in the Triangle Area of North Carolina' North Carolina Occupational Safety end Hearth project, June, 2000 (unpublished report)
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From page 103... ...
Skills in Addressing Work Hazards In addition to knowledge about work hazards there is also a great need for training of Latino immigrant workers on how to address those hazards. A number of useful training materials and techniques have been develone~ for thin nilrnn~P c~^m.cx nf~~rhir~h ^~^ _..
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From page 104... ...
The UC, Berkeley, Labor Occupational Health program's excellent book The Right to Understand: Linhng Literacy to Health and Safety Training also provides an extensive guide to effective training and matenals development for Tow-literacy workers. The latter book provides a good summary of the techniques for effective materials development for low-literacy audiences.
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From page 105... ...
105 (Adapted from The Right to Understand: Linking Literacy to Health and Safety Training. By Elizabeth Szudy and Michele Gonalez Arroyo, Labor Occupational Health Program, UC, Berkeley.)
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From page 106... ...
Many of these are work-related terms, which immigrant workers may know only in "Spanglish" or English but not in Spanish. For example, in construction work Latino immigrants, particularly Mexicans, will often refer to thefinisheros and the chitroqueros to describe the finish carpenters and sheetrock installers.
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From page 107... ...
The translated output is often confusing to the point of being unreadable. A typical example, a Spanish to English translation of a NIOSH Web page, follows: The reactions begin of ordinary to the few minutes of the exhibition to latex, but hours can happen later and can produce different symptoms.
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From page 108... ...
As one worker advocate commented in considering the question of what is most needed for Latino immigrant workers, "So what's the answer? Producing more materials is not the real solution (although it would help)
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From page 109... ...
We do know by ample anecdotal evidence Tom a wide range of sources around the country that Hispanic business owners in 23 Quote from an interview reported in Irn~nigrant Workers at Risk: A Qualitative Study of Hazards faced by Latino Immigrant Construction Workers in the Triangle Area of North Carolina, Norm Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Project, June, 2000. (Unpublished report)
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From page 110... ...
The report noted that "Hispanic workers in construction include managers. Although some may be self-employed and combine management with production work, managers were among the top five Hispanic construction occupations by number.
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From page 111... ...
25 Immigrant Workers at Risk: A Qualitative Study of Hazards faced by Latino Immigrant Construction Workers in the Triangle Area of North Carolina, North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Project. (Cambridge, England; Cambridge University Press, 1997~.
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