At over 17.5 million workers, Hispanics are the largest minoritygroup in this country, but they account for a disproportionatenumber of workplace fatalities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS) reported that for the year 2003, fatalities among

Hispanic workers accounted for 14 percent of the 5,559 totalfatal work injuries. The rate of 4.5 fatalities per 100,000 workersrecorded for Hispanic workers was 13 percent higher than the rateof 4.0 fatalities per 100,000 employed recorded for allworkers.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) iscommitted to protecting the well-being of American workers,including immigrant workers — regardless of their immigrationstatus. To that end, in August 2001 OSHA established a task forceto assess its outreach to Hispanic workers and reduce the number ofdeaths among these workers. They sought creative solutions to theimmigrant worker problems.

Outreach on the Web and by phone

OSHA has developed extensive tools, programs, and trainingresources for employers and Spanish-speaking workers,including:

OSHA's web site, featuring a new Hispanic Employers and Workers'Compliance Assistance page;

A Spanish-language version of essential information available onOSHA's web site, along with numerous electronic complianceassistance tools, Spanish-language publications, public serviceannouncements in Spanish; and

OSHA's national helpline (800-321-OSHA) with Spanish-speakingoperators, and Hispanic/English-as-Second-Language coordinators ineach of OSHA's 10 regions to assist Hispanic workers with outreach,education, and training.

National and Regional Solutions

In addition to the efforts within OSHA, coalitions of governmentand business groups play an important role. The DOL-OSHA HispanicSafety and Health Summit, hosted by the Department of Labor (DOL)and OSHA, in partnership with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerceand the Hispanic Alliance for Progress, occurred in July 2004 inOrlando. Representatives from government, community, faith-basedorganizations, unions, and industry, met to address safety forHispanic workers in all jobs, with special attention to industriessuch as construction, agriculture, landscaping, andhospitality.

Outreach to the Hispanic community also can be found in regionaland local OSHA offices, where programs have been developedspecifically for the locales, including a Hispanic Worker FamilyHealth and Safety Fair in Hialeah.

The fair promoted outreach to Hispanic families andhard-to-reach employees, especially those individuals unable toread and/or understand instructions in English. It focused oneducating Hispanic workers and their families on workplace safetyand health issues to help reduce injuries and fatalities.

The fair, along with enforcement and outreach, is credited withhelping the Ft. Lauderdale area OSHA office achieve a 25 percentreduction in the number of workplace fatalities in South Florida infiscal year 2004. In 2003, 63 percent of the fatalities in thisarea were among Hispanic workers; today they are at 32 percent.

Building Effective Partnerships

The Ft. Lauderdale office cannot take sole credit for thisreduction. This positive outcome would not have been possible if itwere not for the alliances and partnerships that have beendeveloped with USF SafetyFlorida Consultation Program, USF/OSHATraining Institute, Florida Institute of Safety and Construction atFlorida Atlantic University, Associated General ContractorsAssociation of America, Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.,the National Safety Council, and the Safety Council of Palm BeachCounty. Our hats go off to them and we encourage their continuedparticipation.

And the good news is spreading: OSHA's Region IV Regional Office(of which Ft. Lauderdale is a part) hosted four additional safetyand health fairs in 2005 in Birmingham, Alabama, Gainesville,Georgia, Kissimmee, and Homestead.

There is, however, some bad news. Although the number ofHispanic workers dying is on the decline in South Florida, thenumber of fatalities for all worker groups statewide appears to beon the increase this year. While we are concerned about thisprojected increase, we remain convinced that OSHA's outreachprograms will succeed. Workplace safety for Spanish-speakingworkers remains a priority within OSHA, and we are committed toimproving it.

Contact Vergie Y. Bain at 954-424-0242, [email protected], orthrough www.osha.gov.