:: rawblogXport ::

:: Thursday, March 01, 2007 ::

Latinos face more disabling job injuries - By SHELIA M. POOLE, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hispanics may be at greater risk because of the jobs they hold, said David Richardson, a professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Richardson, who has studied workplace deaths and injuries among Latinos, said Hispanic workers, like African-Americans before them, often work risky jobs in risky industries like construction, manufacturing and farming.

'We hear horror stories all the time,' said Jimmy Gibbs, director of special projects for the Southeastern Carpenters Regional Council Local 225, which represents 1,500 workers, roughly 20 percent of whom are Latino. Gibbs said injuries are down among his union's members, primarily because of bilingual training. But that may not always be the case industrywide.

'When workers come in off the street, they may not have been provided safety equipment or bilingual safety information,' he said. 'Some companies don't see a benefit because training costs money, of course.'

posted 6:55 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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