Presentaciones de Seguridad y Salud Laboral de Safety 2008
In light of the government's report last week that the rate of work-related injury death among Hispanic workers is 25 percent higher than that of all other workers, the American Society of Safety Engineers is looking prescient here in Las Vegas. Included in its more than 200 concurrent education sessions in 17 tracks are daily presentations delivered in Spanish and geared precisely to the workers the report deemed most at risk in the United States and the issues they face.
Every day of this week's Professional Development Conference features at least one such session. This afternoon, instructors David Sanchez and Norman Ruano of Chicago's Harry S. Truman College will present "La fuerza laboral Latina en Espana y EEUU: Situacion Presente y Programas Disenados para Mejorar sus Condiciones de Seguridad y Salud Laboral" (“The Latino Workforce in Spain and in the U.S.: Present Situation and Programs Designed to Address their Workplace Safety”—Session 569). The presentation will address how Spain is dealing with the immigrant and safety in the labor force. Specifically, the session will examine Spain's implementation of safety and health programs to address the immigrant workers' labor force issues, focusing on positive and negative experiences, barriers, short and long term objectives, and results, and then note the differences between Spain and the United States. Next, the instructors will focus on how determinant the cultural aspects and language barriers are regarding work-related accidents and then offer ideas that could be used to improve Latino workforce safety and health.
Tomorrow, from 10:45 to 12 p.m., instructor Luz Angela Montano of Davie, Fla.-based DAMT Inc. is scheduled to explore one of the most concerning public health issues of the decade in "Resistencia Antimicrobiana: MRSA" ("Antimicrobial Resistance: MRSA"--Session 620), and later, from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., instructor Edmond A. Baruque of Tampa's PEGASUS TSI Inc., will examine "Cuasi-Accidentes: Que Significan Para La Gerencia?" ("Near Misses: What Do They Mean to Management"--Session 669), giving examples of the implications against profitability of reporting and not reporting near misses. The main objective of the session is to encourage the safety professional to gain management commitment to reinforce the campaigns for near-miss reporting in the organizations as a free resource to protect profits.
On Thursday, June 12, from 11 a.m.-12 p.m., instructor Hector M. Escarcega, CSP, ARM, of Los Angeles's Bilingual Solutions Int'l and Full Esteem Ahead Training & Seminars, will present "Fractura a Través del & de la Comunicación; Barreras Culturales con tu Mano de Obra de Habla Hispana" ("Breaking Through the Communication & Cultural Barriers with Your Spanish Speaking Workforce"--Session 744). NIOSH noted last week that these barriers are a primary cause of Hispanic workers' high fatality rate in industry. Escarcega will pick up where NIOSH left off and address how to achieve effective and appropriate training to Spanish speakers by qualified professionals who understand the workers' culture.