Workforce Language Services

At a recent conference in California, the strengths of the Latino population as well as the challenges of ensuring their safety were discussed. 

The increase in workplace fatalities for Latinos has been discussed often recently in the media, an this article provided a few answers for making sure that Spanish-speaking construction workers become adequately trained:

• provide saftey signs in pictures, rather than words (many Mexican immigrants working in these industries are not literate in their native language)
• translate written safety materials into Spanish
• use bilingual supervisors to not only explain safety procedures, but to demonstrate them and provide time for questions and answers.

The article also gives an explanation for why Latinos may be resistent to following through with safety procedures:

“Strong Latino family ties and high work standards make them an asset to the community and employers,” Mr. Lopez said. “Latinos are willing to work hard and put in long hours – often without taking required breaks – to care for their families and do the best job for employers.”

However, this sometimes leads to risk taking and a sense of fearlessness – in order to please their bosses – without concern for consequences such as strains, hernias and even fatalities, Mr. Lopez said.

Click here for the full article.