Hispanics experiencing higher rates of worksite injury, death
The troubling trend was exacerbated by COVID-19, as more than half of essential workers nationwide are Latino.
The worksite fatality rate for Latinos during 2019 was four per 100,000 workers, compared with 3.5 for all workers, the Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC) reported.
In addition to an elevated rate of deaths, the number of work-related Latino deaths has been steadily increasing during the past few years. In 2017, 903 Latino on-the-job deaths were reported. In 2018, that number hit 961, and during 2019 it reached 1,088, according to TAMACC.
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As Hispanic workers play a large role in the construction industry, it isn’t surprising to find most Latino workers who died on the job were in the building trades. Motor vehicle operation, maintenance and agriculture were the other leading industries in terms of on-the-job deaths among Hispanics.
More troubling is the fact that the number of deaths could be underreported, according to Joann Natarajan, compliance assistance specialty in OSHA’s Austin, Texas, office.
“You have to understand that most of the numbers being reported do not capture occupational diseases,” Natarajan said during a TAMACC webinar. “Occupational diseases are widely unreported.”
For example, she said the data would exclude workers who contracted silicosis, a lung disease caused by breathing in silica, over the course of years.
A more recent example might be found in COVID deaths. Studies have shown a disproportionately high rate of infection among Hispanics, TAMACC pointed out, adding COVID risks at the workplace were found to be much higher than at home or in the community. On top of this, Latinos account for more than half of essential workers nationwide.
Reversing a ‘lack of safety’
“Working with construction contractors very closely, especially though COVID, we found out a lot about safety, or lack of safety, in the workplace,” said Terri Reed, director of the Minority Business Development Agency operated by the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
To stem the tide of workplace injuries and deaths, particularly among Hispanics, Reed laid out the following safety guidelines:
1. Establish and promote a culture of safety, making sure everyone knows it is a priority and there is zero-tolerance for not complying.
“A lot of men, including Latino men, feel they don’t need a lot of regulations and can take care of themselves,” she said. “We hear this time and time again from our contractors in the field.”
2. Have safety processes or a manual in place and available in any prevalent language used by employees.
“Other countries and immigrants believe America has an obsession with safety, but they don’t necessarily have the same safety conditions in their countries. So coming over here and working in an environment that is so different is tough on them in a lot of cases,” Reed said.
3. Provide internal training in any prevalent languages. Additionally, Latino workers respond better when they are trained on the risks and consequences as opposed to strictly focusing on rules. This tact makes it more likely workers will follow the rules as they see them as “a way to make sure they get home to their families every night. It is part of the culture, and it is important to understand that,” Reed said.
4. Share information on how people protected by safety gear can work faster and potentially earn more for their time. “This becomes another very positive impact for the family — more income production — and that makes it more of a priority for Latino workers,” she explained.
5. Make safety equipment available. “We found in some cases where COVID was spreading, businesses weren’t necessarily making personal protective equipment. They were leaving it up to the employees.”
6. Be consistent in safety processes, have consequences for those not following the processes as well as give incentives for those that uphold worksite safety standards.
7. Have a safety officer in place and visiting job sites. Reed notes Latin Americans have “developed a survival system that doesn’t necessarily depend on the legal system or corporate goodwill.” As a result, they’ll often follow the instructions of someone they trust or that has experience in a particular task.
8. Provide a forum for workers to file complaints without the fear of retribution.
9. Leverage community training opportunities such as those provided by OSHA.
“It seems what we need to do is educate, educate, educate,” said J.R. Gonzales, TAMACC executive vice-chair. “Job safety is not necessarily one of those sexy subjects people line up to find more information about, but it is one of those things that can literally save your life.”
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