What is required?
In general, OSHA requires that every employee be trained in the materials and equipment they work with, the hazards present, and how to control them.
It is also expected that no employee will perform any job or operate any equipment until he or she has been properly trained and is authorized to perform such job. In addition, that no employee should perform any job which appears unsafe.
The training process
Training is the process of communicating information to employees who may or may not have any knowledge on the subject in which they are going to be trained and verification that they understood what we taught them. Training is a two-way interaction between the trainer and the student in order to explain a process, an operation or a safety subject.
There are two types of training, formal and informal. During informal training, the supervisor or trainer discuss with the employee(s) ways of doing things. This can be accomplished by having a one-on-one conversation with an employee on the plant floor or by addressing a group of employees in a toolbox meeting. Formal training is usually conducted in a class by a trainer who is able to explain the subject and answer questions from the audience. Sometimes, formal training must also include practical evaluations.
Regardless of the method used, training must be understood by the employee in order to be effective. As general rule, adults retain 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30 % of what they see, 50 % of what they see and hear, 70 % of what they say or repeat, and 90% of what they say as they do. As you can see, there is a remarkable difference between giving them a paper to read or setting up a hands-on demonstration.
The new challenge
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is part of the Department of Labor, reports that in “2006, 937 Hispanic workers were fatally injured while at work. Hispanic worker fatalities accounted for 16 percent of the 5,703 total fatal work injuries that occurred in the U.S. in 2006. The rate of 4.7 fatalities per 100,000 workers recorded for Hispanic workers was a 21 percent higher rate than the rate of 3.9 fatalities per 100,000 employed recorded for all workers. In 2006, foreign-born Hispanic workers accounted for 632 fatalities or 67 percent of the fatalities to Hispanic workers.” The Hispanic worker can be an “immigrant” or native born in the U.S. Hispanic workers are one of the largest non-English speaking minorities in the United States. According to figures from the Census Bureau, Spanish speakers grew by about 60 percent and Spanish continued to be the non-English language most frequently spoken at home in the United States in 2000. Hispanics continue to be the largest minority group at 42.7 million. With a 3.3 percent increase in population from July 1, 2004, to July 1, 2005, they are the fastest-growing group. By 2050 the U.S. Census Bureau projects that there will be about 102 million Hispanics in the U.S. or about 24 % of the population.
The U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey estimates that on the present population of Hispanics 5 years or older 52.7% speaks English very well and 47.3% speaks English less than well.
These reports indicate that the Hispanic workforce is growing strong in this country and that employers need to recognize the importance of adapting their training programs and methods to create a safety culture among the Hispanic employees in order to reduce the amount of accidents and fatalities which may be attributed to a lack of proper training, poor training methods or language barriers.
The new worker
The majority of immigrant workers are good, hard workers, but from the safety point of view, the Hispanic immigrant worker represents a completely new challenge to the industry. Based on my own experiences during the years that I have spent training and managing Hispanics the following characteristics have been observed:
- Most, or none, have never received safety & health training
- Some can barely read either Spanish or English.
- Bilingual supervisors, who themselves lack proper safety training, explain hazards to workers
- The need to provide for their family outweighs the danger of placing themselves in harm’s way of an accident or injury.
- When there are safety concerns, most are afraid to talk to OSHA
- Language and cultural barriers
- More frequent employment in the more dangerous trades
Another trend exhibited by some Hispanic immigrants is a riskier approach to work based in the “macho, or machismo” concept which is part of the culture and it is demonstrated by taking higher risks and not accepting help.
Another common mistake is to lump all “Hispanics” together as if they are all the same. Depending on the country from which they came, Hispanics may have different attitudes, values, beliefs, behaviors and even vocabulary.
How to conduct training
The best approach to training is to have managers, supervisors or safety coordinators which are fluent in both languages and can offer the necessary training in Spanish and even translate the needed material. This is the ideal situation because communication is established and information flows. Besides it helps to eliminate the “culture” barrier. The second approach used by some companies is to have the material in English and have a lead person or supervisor translate the training to the employees. The problem with this method is that most of the time a lot is missed during the translation and the employee does not really get the full benefit of the training.
In some cases, office employees with no knowledge of safety deliver the content and they are not able to explain much of the material.
A third approach is to purchase training programs in Spanish and give them to the employees to read. This can really create problems because we do not know if the employee understands the Spanish in which it has been written, or worse yet, we do not know if the employee can read Spanish at all! I have seen a lot of translations in which I have questioned the content or meaning of the material even though I fully understand the subject at hand.
If your plant is located in an area of heavy Hispanic concentration, then you will be able to find bi-lingual safety professionals who can develop your policies and programs, as well as, your training materials in both languages. They will also be able to present this training in Spanish and English to your employees.
If you use verbal or visual presentations, try to include as many pictures or objects as possible, this will help to communicate your ideas. For example, if you are teaching electrical safety have one extension cord with a ground prong and one without a ground prong. Using those as visual aids, you can explain why a ground prong is necessary and the employees can see the difference.
Do not take yes for an answer!
One practice among trainers is to ask the audience if they understood the material presented to them. And the answer is generally a “yes” or a nod of the head, which usually means that they have no idea of what you just talked about.
Remember, most employees whether they are Hispanic or not, are afraid to lose their jobs or do not want to appear ignorant in front of others. Their natural response will be a “yes”. Instead, try using other methods to evaluate the effectiveness of your training. For example, asking questions or asking employees to explain back to you what they just heard.
One effective way is to give them a short written test on each subject at the end of the presentation. This is not a “pass” of “fail” test, but a means to look at their level of knowledge, understanding, and comprehension of the subject. If they did not know an answer, then go over it with them and explain it in detail. Then you will know that they understand the material.
Be a good listener and hear what they have to say. You will be surprised at the results. Once you have gained their confidence they will start telling you all kinds of problems or hazards of which they are aware off but are afraid to volunteer the information.
Remember, training is required by law and it is up to the employer to offer that training in a way that it is understood by the employees. Training for training sake serves no purpose and does not make an employee safer. On the other hand, when no training is offered because communication is almost non-existent and management and labor are barely able to communicate, then the risk for accidents increase and the disregard for human life become apparent.