Hispanic population growth mirrors ag/hort  work force composition

Ag/hort employers, take note:

The recent announcement by the U.S. Census Bureau that Hispanics are now officially the largest minority group in the United States re-emphasizes the importance of making sure you are effectively communicating with your Hispanic work force.

While the overall Hispanic population in the U.S. grew from approximately 35.3 million on April 1, 2000 to 38.8 million on July 1, 2002, ag/hort employers continued to rely on Hispanic workers to do the jobs they are often unable to find other workers to do.

According to the recently released census figures:

• The Hispanic population in the U.S. has more than doubled since 1980, and now comprises over 13 percent of the total U.S. population.
• Three in five Hispanic persons were born in the United States.
• The U.S. Hispanic population grew 9.8 percent between April 1, 2000 and July 1, 2002, compared to a 2.5 percent growth rate of the population as a whole.
   

Recent figures from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Agricultural Workers Survey showed that of approximately 1.8 million hired farm workers in the United States, 75 percent reported that they read English only a little or not at all, and 84 percent reported that their primary language is Spanish.

At the same time, OSHA, the federal agency that regulates workplace safety, continues to publicly state that it is placing a special emphasis on the safety of Hispanic workers.

What does this mean for ag/hort employers? If you are not now providing safety training to your Spanish-speaking workers in a language they understand, it’s important that you begin. Here are a few tips:

• Don’t assume that all of your Spanish-speaking employees are able to read in their native language. Oral safety training sessions can help you get around this  barrier.
• Cultivate good relationships with trusted bilingual employees who can help with language barrier problems. Use these workers to present your safety training sessions.
• Various training materials are available in Spanish, including 96 of GEMPLER’S “tailgate” training scripts. These scripts were translated by a certified Spanish translator who has had years of experience translating for major companies, universities, physicians, attorneys, and agricultural organizations.