Latino workers at increased risk of injury
Occupational health professionals should keep an eye on Latino workers because they may be at increased risk for injury and illness, according to the participants in a recent discussion of problems in the Latino community.
The problems of Latino workers and their families are broad and complex, agreed a group of leaders of the Hispanic community at a recent round table discussion.
The meeting was the second in a series of discussions aimed at tackling problems that affect Hispanics both in the United States and Latin and South America, hosted by the National Safety Council and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. The first meeting was held in April at the National Safety Council’s Washington, DC, headquarters.
Hispanics are at higher risk than the general population for injuries, illnesses, and environmental hazards, the group noted. They face challenges from lack of education, health care, and English proficiency. Statistics for occupational, domestic, and school violence are high, as are risks for AIDS, teenage pregnancy, asthma in children, and pesticide exposure.
Fear of deportation could be a factor
Workers and their families often do not use available resources for fear of deportation and employee reprisals. Perhaps most disturbingly, high numbers of undocumented workers make current injury and illness statistics suspect.
Julius Jimeno, director of safety, health, and environmental management for the EPA, said a coalition of community leaders, federal agencies and other stakeholders could make a difference in the lives of Hispanics in the Americas.
Representatives from the Alice Hamilton Occupational Health Center, Pan American Health Organization, Farm Workers Justice Fund, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration attended the meeting, among many others.
The round table group provided these facts:
• Between 1996 and 1998, there was a 40% increase in Hispanic fatalities in the construction industry, with less than 20% increase in the Hispanic construction work force, according to U.S. Census data.
• Agriculture and construction have the highest proportion of Hispanic workers of any industry.
• Just under 16% of all construction workers are Hispanic, according to the Center to Protect Worker’s Rights.
• More than 80% of all migrant farm workers are Hispanic. The U.S. has between 3 million and 5 million migrant farm workers and dependents, according to the Migrant Legal Action Program.
• HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in Hispanic males between 18 and 24, according to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
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