Non-English-speaking Hispanic workers present unique safety challenges.

Picture this: It’s your first day on the job with a construction crew. Your boss asks you to lay a foundation for an office building. High above, another worker is walking along a scaffold. He accidentally kicks a hammer off the scaffold, and you’re directly below it.

Fortunately, your company embraces a “total safety” culture. In a “total safety” culture, employees look out for each other. Everyone is accountable for not only their own safety but also their co-workers’ safety.

With that in mind, someone yells, “Cuidado, el martillo se puede cáer sobre ti!” Your co-worker warned you to get out of the way. If you didn’t speak Spanish, you might have been involved in a serious accident.

Hispanics represent about 36 percent of the labor force in states like Texas. They face the same workplace hazards as their non-Hispanic co-workers, but they may be more likely to have an accident. In 2007, Hispanics accounted for 40 percent of workplace fatalities, a 33 percent increase over 2004, according to the Texas Department of Insurance.

Here are some tips for keeping non- English-speaking Hispanic workers safe. Follow the ones that fit your business, and you can help make your workplace safer and more productive.

Challenge: language — You know that fizzy, sweet drink that Texans call a Coke, regardless of what brand we’re talking about? It’s also called pop and soda in other parts of the country. Language can be a barrier to communication, even among people who speak the same language. Imagine how hard it is for Hispanic workers who speak little or no English.

Solutions

• Use more pictures and fewer words to point out hazards and teach safety procedures.
• Most communication is nonverbal. Watch workers’ eyes, body language and expressions to see whether they understand instructions.
 • Train supervisors in basic, conversational Spanish. Send non-Englishspeaking Hispanic workers to a conversational English class. Focus on commonly used words in your industry.
• Hire Spanish-speaking supervisors who have experience in your industry.
• Ask bilingual employees to translate safety messages.
• If you have training requirements, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration mandates that you provide them in a language that workers can understand. Hire a translation company to put safety training material into Spanish. Make sure the translator is fluent in the Spanish dialects spoken by your employees.

Challenge: literacy — Many Hispanic workers do not have the luxury of pursuing their education because they have to help support their families. About 40 percent of Hispanics age 25 and up do not have a high school diploma, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By comparison, about 14 percent of the total U.S. population does not have a high school diploma.

Solutions

• Keep training basic.
• Provide simple, hands-on safety demonstrations.
• Do not let employees start work until they show that they understand the training.
• Provide follow-up training, and be sure to address new workplace hazards.

Challenge: fear — Have you ever been afraid of asking a question in front of a large group of people? Imagine asking it in a different language. Non-Englishspeaking Hispanic workers may put themselves at risk because they’re too embarrassed to ask questions about safety procedures. Some may even fear for their jobs if they report unsafe working conditions.