Oral

Immigrant workers, particularly foreign born Latina/os, experience death and physical injury in construction work at elevated rates. Language differences, lack of training, knowledge of safety practices and inadequate enforcement are elements that are thought to contribute to these disparities. The emergence of a shadow economy in which immigrant workers perform the most hazardous work without benefit of formal employment relationships or unions may also play a role. An example of a public health response includes partnerships between occupational health researchers and community based workers' centers that seek to involve immigrant workers in critically analyzing risk factors and taking action to reduce their exposures to hazardous conditions. Such worker-based centers provide the setting for culturally relevant training that allows workers to evaluate unsafe exposures and think through possible health and safety actions. This session will present work from the Labor/Rutgers' peer-led, participatory Spanish language safety training intervention on Latino day laborers' attitudes and actions; data collected by the Chicago Interfaith Center on Workers' Issues to describe their organizing and direct action to respond to workplace safety hazards; and baseline data on PPE use, injury, outcomes and worker attitudes collected by the Latino Union/CICWI/University of Illinois. This session will also include presentation of an adaptation and use of OSHA 10-hour training for Spanish-speaking workers will also be presented and discussed.

Session Objectives: Describe the context in which immigrant workers often work and challenges that context presents for workers and health and safety (H&S) protection. Explain the principles of a participatory H&S training program for immigrant workers in construction and the outcomes that one partnership documented in interactions with immigrant workers. Describe an evaluation of a Spanish language training program and compare the baseline outcomes of the training in terms of PPE use, knowledge of workers and attitudes toward health and safety actions at work. Describe the adaptation of OSHA 10-hour training for Spanish speaking construction workers.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)