Workforce Language Services

OSHA reports from 2006 show a frightening correlation between deaths of construction workers and lack of English-speaking skills, especially for Hispanics and those born outside of the U.S.  The reports also show that those working non-union jobs experience a higher rate of fatality than those working for unions.  Anecdotal evidence of sacrificing safety measures for speed points to the need for enforcement of safety procedures and instruction for non-English speakers in their own language.  Learning English is a process that takes years, and while many of these construction workers may be moving towards fluency, this article shows the need for immediate attention to safety in workers’ native languages. 

Oscar Paredes, executive director of the Latin American Workers Project, said outreach and training by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and city agencies are ineffective because of the language barrier.

“The city government doesn’t have a lot of people who speak the language or that can offer the appropriate training,” he said.

Paredes said some workers ignore safety precautions, sometimes because they are apathetic, or sometimes because they are afraid to lose their job if they refuse to perform a dangerous task, such as scaling heights with no harnesses or guardrails.

“If you don’t go up, you lose the work,” he said.

No one doubts the importance of learning English for immigrant workers, but when their lives are at risk, the construction industry needs to meet them where they are language-wise. 

There is also a cultural issue at play, especially when workers come from countries where safety measure are lax or non-existent.