FOR THE THREE YEARS BETWEEN 2003 AND 2006, THERE WERE 36% MORE LATINOS FATALLY INJURED ON THE JOB THAN ANY OTHER EMPLOYEE IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE TYPES OF STATISTICS CONTINUE TO INCREASE EACH YEAR, SHINING A LIGHT ON A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN THIS COUNTRY. TODAY, IT’S FAR MORE LIKELY FOR EMPLOYEES AND WORKERS WITH A HISPANIC/LATINO BACKGROUND TO BE INJURED OR KILLED ON THE JOB THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY.
Increased Risk of Injury for Foreign-Born Hispanic/Latino Workers
Among those Hispanic/Latino workers injured, the majority of them are non-native, born outside of the United States. The jobs that are available for people who don’t speak English or who speak it as a second language are, by nature, more dangerous. The jobs are found in industries like agriculture and construction, where the risk of injury is inherently higher than in other professions.
According to a paper in the Monthly Labor Review of 2013, Hispanic/Latino Fatal Occupational Injury Rates, by Christen G. Byler, findings indicate that there are “higher rates of recorded occupational injuries associated with foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workers as compared to native-born Hispanic/Latino workers.” The two groups are classified separately, despite the fact that of their shared ethnicity.
The problem runs even more profound than the usual hazards of certain types of employment, however. Hispanic/Latino workers are more likely to be injured than other ethnicities within the industries they work in. They are more likely to be hurt than the white, Asian and black workers in construction, agriculture, etc. And foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workers face the highest risk of all.
The Additional Safety Barriers Undocumented Workers Face
The fact that foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workers face the most significant risk of injury of any other ethnic group, including Hispanic/Latino workers born in the U.S., indicates the unique set of circumstances that these workers face. There are safety barriers that are unique to foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workers, safety barriers that must be addressed if we are to create a safer workplace for the growing foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workforce throughout the United States.
Various agencies such as the Pew Research Hispanic Center, Department of Labor, National Council of La Raza and American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) continuously stress that foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workers are more likely encounter occupational safety hurdles compared to other U.S. workers.
Some safety barriers foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workers face are:
Limited or lack of proficiency in English
Inadequate understanding of their rights and safety laws
Cultural precedent for safety
Fear of retaliation against any worker who reports an injury or safety hazard in their workplace
Employers assume little risk by hiring undocumented workers for sometimes unsafe and backbreaking work – and for lower pay
How Immigration Reform Can Help Foreign-Born Hispanic/Latino Workers
As the most at-risk group of all – accounting for over half of the Hispanic/Latino workers who die on the job – foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workers are in desperate need of protection. While this group would certainly benefit from improved security for all Hispanic/Latino workers, being foreign-born, and typically undocumented, they face additional hurdles which are best addressed through immigration reform.
Immigration reform that provided foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workers with legal status would put them in a much better position to stand up for themselves. Deportation hangs over the head of every undocumented worker in the country, a final, powerful threat that silences all complaints. Not all employers of undocumented workers abuse their position, but some do. Removing the threat of deportation, and educating foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workers about their rights as documented workers, would go a long way towards protecting these workers over the long-term.
A Lack of Protection for All Hispanic/Latino Workers
Foreign-born Hispanic/Latino workers are the most at-risk group of all workers in the country, but Hispanic/Latino workers who are here legally still occupy the most at-risk group among documented workers/U.S.-born workers. Measures need to be taken beyond immigration reform to address the exceptional risk of injury all Hispanic/Latino workers face.
It’s estimated that by 2050 one-third of the nation’s workforce will be Latino. A number this size needs a voice so that they are protected while working. Comprehensive immigration reform is one step, but only the first.
It is also necessary to educate Hispanic/Latino workers about safety and their rights. Education about work safety and workers’ rights can help to create a safer workplace and can do much to address the cultural issues that deter Hispanic/Latino workers from reporting injuries.
An increase in resources to protect Hispanic/Latino workers is also necessary, including providing legal resources for taking action against unsafe employers and seeking workers’ compensation and increasing funding for OSHA, which is required for the protection of not only Hispanic/Latino workers – but all workers.
The fact that there is a problem is evident, as evidenced by year after year of statistics. Now is the time to address that issue – for the benefit of the fastest growing group of workers in the country, and for the benefit of all workers throughout the United States.