SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS AND THE LANGUAGE BARRIER

You might think your company has an effective hazard prevention and safety training program. But how effective is it if your workers don't understand it?

According to the most recent census figures, approximately 12 percent of the population is foreign-born; many of these are less than proficient English speakers. As minority groups grow as a percentage of the population, employers will face new challenges in making their workplaces safe for all employees. To determine if your safety communications are effective, evaluate the following factors:

• English proficiency of your workforce — spoken, auditory and written.
  
  
• Languages other than English your workers can speak or read fluently.
  
  
• Literacy levels. Don't assume that only non-native speakers may have problems reading and writing. Although the U.S. has an official literacy rate of 99 percent, a 2003 survey by the U.S. Department of Education found that 14 percent of adults in the U.S. had prose (text-reading) skills at the "below basic" level, 12 percent had document (chart or form-reading) skills at the below basic level and 22 percent had quantitative skills at the below basic level.
  
  
• Your current safety communications. Are they written only? Written and illustrated? Video or audio? In English, Spanish or other languages? If you're providing written-only communications in English only, are you sure your workers can understand them?

To improve the effectiveness of your safety communication program, consider taking any of the following steps that may be appropriate for your company.

• Translate existing documentation into Spanish or other primary languages read fluently by your workers.
  
  
• Ensure communications are written at or below the Grade 4 to 6 range, the level usually recommended for general audiences.
  
  
• Consider adding pictograms or symbols to your company's warning signs and safety-related documents. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration commissioned a study on hazard communications, which found that "[w]arnings containing a pictorial, color, or an icon elicited significantly faster response times among subjects than warnings without them." However, if you use pictograms or symbols, educate your employees on what these symbols mean. Even brief training — simply stating the symbols' meaning — can help increase comprehension.
  
  
• Consider the needs of disabled and older workers. In addition to having safety communications and signage in a format accessible to disabled workers, take into account diminished hearing and visual capabilities of older workers. Depending on the needs of your workforce, you might have to change signage and other visual communications to improve visibility by using larger type, more contrast or brighter lighting. Make audio communications more easily understandable by increasing volume and decreasing speed.
  
  
• Don't limit your safety training efforts to simply posting signs or handing employees a safety manual. Meet with them—either in a classroom situation or one-on-one at the job site—to ensure they understand any work-related hazards and how to avoid them.

For more information, please contact the PCOC Insurance Program department of Jenkins Insurance Services at (877) 860-7378.