As called for in its Strategic Management Plan (SMP), OSHA is continuing to
identify ways to improve the safety and health of immigrants and other
hard-to-reach workers and employers. In that spirit, OSHA’s Region II has
partnered with New Labor, a New Brunswick, New Jersey community group, which has
also teamed with Rutgers University and the Latino Occupational Safety and
Health Initiative (LOSHI), to train Spanish-speaking workers about safety in the
workplace.
New Labor and LOSHI have focused on training Spanish-speaking workers about
safety and health in the workplace in specific types of employment, including
contract supplied employees, day laborers, temporary workers and full-time
workers in restaurants, warehouses and other light industrial facilities. New
Labor developed Spanish-language workplace safety manuals that taught the
workers basic safety skills such as how to assess hazards and how to wear
protective equipment. Workers also learned they had recourse in case of an
accident.
OSHA Region II representatives Diana Cortez, Area Director of the Tarrytown, New
York Office and Regional Hispanic Chair, along with OSHA Regional Labor Liaison
Laura Kenny, have been working with New Labor and LOSHI since the summer of
2003. In June 2003, Ms. Cortez presented an “All About OSHA” Spanish-language
safety and health training session for approximately 25 workers covering OSHA’s
inspection and complaint process, employee rights and 11(c) discrimination
protections. The workers were extremely appreciative of the presentation and
indicated in the class survey that they had not heard of OSHA prior to the
class.
In December 2003, OSHA met again with LOSHI representatives, Richard Cunningham,
Director of New Labor, and Debra Lancaster, Director of the Occupational
Training and Education Consortium (OTEC) at Rutgers University, to observe their
pilot program for Emergency Preparedness. OSHA provided feedback and also
discussed ways to work together with LOSHI on this project. Specifically, OSHA
suggested expanding their program on Emergency Preparedness and offered to
provide training on but not limited to “All About OSHA,” employee rights, and
hazard recognition and prevention. This project is in the early stages.
In addition, LOSHI was recently awarded an
OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant in
the amount of $212,000 to develop a sustainable health and safety Emergency
Response and Preparedness (ERP) program. The ERP program will improve
communication links between workers and employers and ensure that
Spanish-speaking workers are able to overcome the language barriers that put
them at greater risk of injuries and fatalities. The ERP program is designed to
focus on employers who frequently hire entry-level Latino workers or utilize
their services through temporary employment agencies. The ERP program will also
be available to community-based organizations throughout New Jersey.
To continue this successful collaboration, the OSHA New Jersey Area Offices,
along with regional staff, are pursuing a potential Alliance with New Labor and
LOSHI to provide additional outreach and training to Spanish-speaking workers.
For more information on this training activity, please contact Diana Cortez at
Diana Cortez.
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