|
|
|
 Step
4: Where to Find OSHA Training Requirements and How They Apply to
Spanish-Speaking Employees
Spanish-speaking employees accounted for a disproportionate number of
workplace fatalities in 2006. Hispanic employee fatalities accounted for 16 percent of the 5,703
total fatal work injuries in the U.S. The rate of 4.7 fatalities per 100,000 employees for
Hispanic employees was 21 percent higher than the rate of 3.9 fatalities per 100,000 employed
for all employees. This appears to be due in part to the fact that Hispanic employees are
disproportionately employed in higher-risk occupations, such as construction and manufacturing,
where proper training is essential to a safe workplace. For example, the construction industry
accounts for approximately 7 percent of all employment, but approximately 20 percent of
workplace fatalities. Hispanic employees comprise almost 15 percent of the construction
workforce, a percentage somewhat above their representation in the overall workforce.
Many standards promulgated by OSHA explicitly require an employer to train employees in the
safety and health aspects of their jobs. OSHA considers training to be an essential part of
every employer’s safety and health program for protecting employees from injuries and illnesses.
An effective program of safety and health training, communicating information in a manner that
employees are capable of understanding, can provide numerous benefits, including fewer injuries
and illnesses, better worker morale, and lower insurance premiums.
To help employers, employees, safety and health professionals, training directors, and others to
locate relevant OSHA training provisions, the Agency has excerpted and collected its
training-related requirements in OSHA publication #2254,
"Training
Requirements in OSHA Standards and Training Guidelines" (also available as a 720 KB
PDF).
This publication can serve as a guideline to employers as they develop safety and health training
programs for their Spanish-speaking employees. The complete list of OSHA standards, and a
searchable database of OSHA’s interpretations of those standards, is available online on
OSHA’s
Laws, Regulations and Interpretations Web page. In addition, the Agency issued the "OSHA
Training Standards Policy Statement" on April 17, 2007, which reiterates OSHA's policy that employee
training required by OSHA standards must be presented in a manner that employees can understand.
|
|
|
Accessibility Assistance: Some
documents are available as text-enabled PDF documents. If additional assistance is needed in
reading/reviewing these documents, please contact the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances at
202-693-2340.
|
Back to Top
Printer Friendly Version