OSHA introduces new construction safety training resource for Spanish-speaking construction workers

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today introduced a new construction safety training resource for Spanish-speaking construction workers to community and faith-based leaders from the Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island.

"Knowledge of construction hazards and safeguards can prevent injuries and save lives," said Diana Cortez, OSHA's regional Hispanic coordinator in New York. "The challenge is to deliver that knowledge to vulnerable and hard-to-reach workers and to do so in a form that they understand and from a source they know and trust. Community and faith-based organizations are a vital link in reaching these workers."

The new program, called Focus 4 Hazards, is a a bilingual training kit that summarizes, in a clear, concise and easy-to-understand manner, the four major construction hazards and the steps workers can take to recognize, avoid and eliminate those hazards.

"Effective safety and health management depends on workers being able to understand job-related hazards and the means to prevent and eliminate those hazards," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York. "Tools such as this are designed to bridge the language gap so that Spanish- and other non-English-speaking workers can safeguard themselves and their fellow workers."

Sources:
www.osha.gov