Health and Safety at Work for Latino Immigrant Day Laborers

Latino immigrant workers are frequently hired for hazardous jobs and suffer abuse due to their marginalized status. Although they have a high injury rate, immigrant Latinos rarely report receiving training Their employment and immigration status limits their ability to control working conditions. Safety training may help prevent injury and illness by increasing hazard recognition and risk avoidance skills.

We piloted a Spanish language OSHA approved 10-hour class. Twenty-four male Latino immigrants completed the two-day course and received the OSHA 10 Construction card. We conducted a behavior change evaluation associated with the class by surveying participants before, and two and four weeks after the class.

Fourteen subjects who completed at least two surveys and who worked during the two weeks prior, reported significant increases in use of the information received. Ninety-two percent reported conducting hazard identification at their worksite, and 28 percent said that they made changes in safety behaviors after the course, while 0 reported taking these actions prior to the course. In addition, anecdotal information indicates that some workers have demanded safety equipment on a construction job after having received course information.

Work safety and health concerns among precariously employed Latino immigrants continue to increase. These findings suggest that Spanish language safety training can contribute to risk identification and avoidance actions. We are continuing to offer health and safety training among this population and evaluating the effectiveness of the course content in changing workplace exposures.