Injuries and Fatalities Among Immigrant and Hispanic Workers
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration first established a Hispanic Workers Task Force in 2001 dedicated to pursuing creative solutions to improve the agency’s outreach to and prevent fatalities among Hispanic workers. Through the task force the agency continues to seek new ways to provide the Hispanic community with safety and health information and materials, access to education and training programs, and compliance assistance and training through its various cooperative programs. Existing outreach efforts include a variety of Spanish-language programs, services and collaborative efforts at both national and regional levels. Additionally, OSHA appointed Hispanic/English-as-a-Second Language (ESOL) Coordinators in each of the 10 OSHA regions in July 2003. The Coordinators assist employers and immigrant workers with outreach, education and training. They also serve as the region’s liaison to the Agency’s Hispanic Task Force and the OSHA National Office.
OSHA has developed Alliances and other cooperative relationships at both the national and regional level to provide outreach material to the Hispanic community. As of May 20, 2005, OSHA has 10 national and 38 regional alliances with Professional and Business organizations, faith and community-based organizations, and Educational facilities. Additionally, OSHA has working relationships with various labor organizations and Latin American consulates to provide training and education to Hispanic workers. The alliances address a wide range of hazards and issues including: ergonomics, motor vehicle safety, silica, struck-by, falls, electrical protection, and work zone safety. Some of the organizations include the Carpenter’ s Union, Mexican Consulate, Guatemalan Consulate, Salvadorian Consulate, Nicaraguan Consulate, American Society of Safety Engineers-Metropolitan and New Jersey Chapters, American Meat Institute, Associated Landscape Contractors of America, and the National Association of Home Builders. Through these cooperative relationships OSHA is working together with various organizations to provide training and education, develop training materials, and participate in conferences and fairs.
In January, 2006, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, Nebraska Workers Compensation Court and Nebraska Workforce Development formalized an agreement to work with the Mexican Consulate, based in Omaha. Many workers who visit the Consulate at their Omaha headquarters could benefit from more information about worker rights. In addition to working at headquarters, the agency representatives will travel with the mobile consul to Iowa and rural Nebraska communities. The staff of the consulate will also receive training on how to advise Mexican citizens with various workplace concerns.
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