Workplace safety of Hispanics spotlighted by Nevada agencies

In response to a disproportionate number of on-the-job injuries and fatalities among Hispanic workers,Nevada officials are focusing on workplace safety for Hispanics.

The program will feature safety and health fairs, bilingual safety training classes and a bilingual marketing campaign aimed at Hispanics for the free training sessions.

The event grew out of concern that Hispanics have a higher injury and fatality rate on the job than any other demographic group nationwide and in Nevada.

Of the 5,559 workers who died from injuries on the job nationwide in 2003, 14 percent, or 791,were Hispanic or Latino.

In Nevada, 10 of the 52 workers who died from job injuries were Hispanic.Hispanics and Latinos made up 12.6 percent of the national workforce and about 17 percent of the Nevada workforce.

The state's Safety Consultation and Training Section has been providing bilingual training with the Nevada Small Business Development Center, but officials haven't reached as many people as they would like, says Jan Rosenberg, the section's chief administrative officer.With a concentrated effort, officials hope to create more buzz among employers and reach a larger portion of the Hispanic workforce.

Language and communication barriers as well as cultural differences contribute to the problem,Rosenberg says.

Some of the employees don't speak English and don't receive training they can understand before their assignments.

Some workers come from a culture where they've learned not to question authority, and some want to work so much that they take unnecessary risks, fearing they'll lose their jobs otherwise.

Rosenberg says the state will run ads in Hispanic and general media to reach both workers and employers.MGM Mirage, Pardee Homes and Sunrise Carpentry in Las Vegas are sponsoring the event.

In Northern Nevada, the month-long program will feature a health fair April 7 at Northern Nevada Medical Center in Sparks and free bilingual workplace safety classes in hazard communication awareness, introduction to OSHA, blood-borne pathogens, OSHA for general Nevada businesses, and OSHA construction, a 10-hour safety course.

(Visit www.4safenv.state.nv.us for details.) Meanwhile the Nevada Small Business Development Center will begin a year-long study in April on how to improve workplace safety for Hispanic employees.

"The ultimate goal is to ascertain the most effective way to educate Hispanics on worker safety, not just inform," says Marilyn Stell of the center's Program Manager Safety Assistance Service.

Researchers will conduct focus groups in Reno, Las Vegas and rural Nevada and will present findings next year to the national Small Business Development Center conference, Stell says.

The study is funded by almost $100,000 in grants from the Public Entity Risk Institute, the Builder's Insurance Co.

and Nevada Contractors Insurance Co.

Partners include the state's Safety Consultation and Training Section,Risk Services Inc.,Associated Builders and Contractors, the Northern Nevada Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, International Professional Development Services, the Builders Association and the Nevada Association of Employers.