This article already has nearly 200 comments. Folks are not happy about the slant of the article. Also, was there any mention of going after the employers that hire and abuse illegal workers?


Hispanic worker deaths up 76% since 1992
Updated 8h 34m ago | Comments 196

By Rick Jervis, USA TODAY
The number of Hispanic workers who die on the job has risen, even as the overall number of workplace deaths has declined, according to federal statistics.

Hispanic worker deaths increased from 533 in 1992 to 937 in 2007 — a 76% jump. In the same period, total fatalities in all jobs nationwide fell from 6,217 to 5,657, according to the data. The 2007 tally, the latest available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, followed a record 990 Hispanic deaths in 2006.

Last year, officials at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Dallas investigated 50 Hispanic workplace deaths in Texas alone, according to OSHA figures. So far this year, they've investigated 21 fatalities, including three workers who fell 11 stories from a collapsed scaffolding last month in Austin.

"I am particularly concerned about our Hispanic workforce, as Latinos often work low-wage jobs and are more susceptible to injuries in the workplace than other workers," U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis told USA TODAY. "There can be no excuses for negligence in protecting workers, not even a language barrier."

More Hispanics in the workforce can account for some of the increase in deaths, said Peg Seminario, safety and health director of the AFL-CIO. In 1998, Hispanics represented 10.4% of the U.S. labor force, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2007 they accounted for 14%.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Occupational Safety and Health Administration | AFL-CIO

Lack of training, poor communication skills and exploitation of workers also lead to accidents and deaths, Seminario said.

Hispanic workers have fallen off roofs, been crushed under heavy machinery and run over by trucks, according to workers' rights advocates, such as the Austin-based Workers Defense Project. Austin alone has reported four Hispanic deaths this year. Last month, OSHA pledged to bolster the number of inspectors in Texas in response to the growing number of construction-related deaths, more than half of them Hispanic.

Workers without legal documentation to be in the U.S. are less inclined to join a union, which helps protect workers, or protest when conditions seem dangerous, said Raj Nayak of the California-based National Employment Law Project. "They're doing the most dangerous work for longer hours," Nayak said.

Jose Omar Puerto, 19, from Honduras, was repairing a roof on an Austin apartment building in 2007 when his aluminum ladder became entangled in electrical wires. He was electrocuted and killed, his sister, Marta Puerto, said.

His company paid for the funeral and the body's return to Honduras, she said. The family received no further compensation.

"It's an injustice how my brother died," Marta Puerto said. "There are a lot of cases like this, not just my brother's. We need better laws to protect Hispanics."

Some of the fatalities among Hispanics could have been avoided with proper training, said Michael Cunningham of the Texas State Building and Construction Trades Council, a labor consortium.

"No matter what country they're from, whether they're here legally or illegally, someone should make sure they have the proper training," he said.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace ... aths_N.htm



Jenquii (3 friends, send message) wrote: 2m ago
If you're working here ILLEGALLY, dont expect to take advantage of the LEGAL system in claiming bias. Who can train someone who doesnt learn the language in the country that they are in. I've worked in countries in Europe and I HAD to learn their language in order to work. There is something to say for workplace saftey but there is also a even greater responsibility for personal safety as well. This is not a United States vs. Mexico issue. All other countries expect others to learn the language of the country and I think it should be the same in the United States. If I dont learn how to tie my shoes and i trip over my shoe laces..... Do i claim a lawsuit against the shoe company?? PLEASE!!!!



cuzIcan (1 friends, send message) wrote: 16m ago
Hey Rick Jervis

1) Take a stat class before writing ignorant articles like this

2) Slow day at the office? This is the best you can do?

3) Count your lucky stars that you are able to get this tripe in print