Workers with limited English language skills are at much higher risk of injury and death, says Curtis Childress, a senior risk engineering consultant with Zurich North America, a major insurance company. Some studies indicate that workers with limited English skills have a death rate 45% higher than workers that speak and understand English.
Workers from a different culture may be less likely to ask questions, even though they don’t understand what is expected of them. We need to manage all workers for safety, but language and cultural differences increase the challenges, Childress says.
Hispanic is a term used by the US Census Bureau. It does not refer to a specific country. Many people of Hispanic descent are US citizens, many by birth. Most Hispanic people do not see themselves as “Hispanic,” but rather of a particular country. Many Hispanic families have lived in Tejanos (Texas), California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado for hundreds of years.
Most people from South America are of Hispanic origin. Brazil is of Portuguese origin, but Chileans, Ecuadorians, Argentines, Columbians, Bolivians, and so forth are all Spanish-speaking people. We tend to have a blind spot about the very large continent south of us, Childress says.
And remember Central America and the island countries in the Caribbean. People from El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, and Guatemala are all Hispanic and do immigrate to the US. Caribbean countries include the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and many others.
Just as there is diversity in the US, so is there diversity in Mexico. Tijuana and the Yucatan areas are quite different. It is important to recognize that people from Mexico, Cuba, Chile, and Puerto Rico are all different from each other.
Recent Hispanic immigrants are more than twice as likely to be killed as a long term resident. The place of origin has less effect on injury frequency than language skills. Childress says the greatest need to manage people safely involves those with low English-language skills.
When you think of the stereotypes people have of Americans, what do you think? Americans are wealthy, loud, drive fast cars, talk rapidly, eat a lot, and have a lot of things, right? Now imagine that you just hired 10 new workers and they’re all of Hispanic descent. What characteristics do you expect? Just as not all Americans are rich, loud, or fat, so all Hispanic workers are not the same. All Hispanic workers are neither lazy nor hard working; all do not speak English; and not all of them like frijoles refritos. It’s not efficient management to expect all Hispanic workers to have the same personality, work habits, or knowledge levels.
How familiar does this rant by a foreman sound? “What’s the problem, anyway? I gave him the papers to fill out and he gave me a different last name and date of birth. I asked if he could finish the work today and he said yes-but he didn’t finish. I told him to tie off, but he didn’t. He never looked at me once while we were talking.”
Obviously, we have a failure to communicate. Starting with dates and names, Americans are among the few people in the world that write dates as month, day, and year. Many cultures write dates as day, month, and then the year. In Hispanic cultures, the last name is usually not the last name in order of names. So Julio Diego Garcia Flores is Julio Garcia, son of Mr. Garcia and his wife, who was Miss Flores before marriage.
Many Hispanic cultures teach that saying “no” is insubordination to your parents or an employer. So when you ask, “Can you use a nail gun?” the answer will come back “Yes!” A better question may be, “Do you have a card showing that you were trained to use a nail gun?”
Another example: “Manana” does mean tomorrow, but it may not mean your tomorrow. So rather than say you need something completed by tomorrow, it’s better to say “This must be finished by Tuesday noon.” Childress recommends using specific days, dates, and times.
Eye contact is another issue. Many Hispanic people are taught that to look into the face or eyes of a superior is to challenge or disrespect that superior. As you may have learned in the military, respect is shown by not making eye contact.
Family plays a strong role in Hispanic life. And family means extended family-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, in-laws, and so forth. So instead of saying “wear the respirator; the dust is not good for you,” you may want to say “If the dust makes you sick, you will not be able to care for your family.”
Good managers will recognize the place religion may have in the lives of all their workers, especially Hispanics. In many Hispanic cultures, the church is an integral part of social life. A person’s birthday may be less important than your Saint’s Day.
Hispanic cultures often have an unofficial leader who other workers look to and pattern their behavior after. It may not be a foreman or supervisor-it may be an older worker or someone who has been with your company longer. Hispanics have cultural respect for older persons.
When it comes to rewarding workers, praise is always good, especially in front of peers. Money also works, but if the worker has family he supports in another country, the money may not directly reward the worker. Several companies have used gift cards, or international telephone cards as rewards. Gifts such as coolers, lunch boxes, and the like are also good.
Training can be a huge issue. You need to assess language skills first. If language skills are limited, focus on showing an idea, not telling. Have a worker demonstrate the new skill. As a reminder, there are English-speaking workers who do not read well. Literacy problems are not limited to one culture.
In summary, do encourage workers to use English. Do not ridicule accent or pronunciation. Avoid slang-horseplay does not translate well. And don’t use a $25 word when a $1 word will work just as well. “Bring to fruition” does not communicate better than “complete” or “done.”
New Software Helps Track Safety Data
Construction software developer HCSS has launched a new safety application geared specifically to construction companies. The safety application is a standalone product that integrates seamlessly with HCSS’s Heavy Job project management software.
Foremen and project engineers who already enter timecard information into Heavy Job can quickly and easily enter safety-related information into the new safety application. Construction companies use the safety application to track and report all job-level safety information and manage historical safety data for each job in one location. The product also helps the company manage individual employees’ safety compliance, certification, and training. A dashboard displays the key indicators of the company’s safety program across all jobs instantly and alerts management to areas that require immediate attention.
Plus, an incident management feature simplifies capture, classification and documentation of recordable incidents for company analysis and the OSHA Form 300 log of work-related injuries and illnesses. Companies can use the safety application as a central location to schedule trainings, inspections, and other safety-related activities.
