OSHA Enhances Construction eTool for Spanish-speaking Workers

Spanish-speaking workers in the construction industry will reportedly benefit from information featured in the updated version of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) eTool de Construcción – La Prevención De Fatalidades, posted to OSHA’s Web site this week.

“The eTool is designed to provide helpful information to the growing number of Spanish-speaking workers in the construction industry, which will help them stay safe on the job while ensuring a continuing healthy workforce in the future,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jonathan Snare.

The updated eTool uses safety and health terms from the agency’s English-Spanish and Spanish-English construction dictionaries. It includes a glossary of construction safety and health terms, and a listing of topics relevant to developing and maintaining an effective workplace safety and health program. The eTool will help employers and workers identify and avoid hazards that commonly cause the most serious injuries in construction including electrical, falls, struck-by and trenching.

OSHA’s eTools are stand-alone, interactive, Web-based training tools on occupational safety and health topics. They are highly illustrated and utilize graphical menus. Some also use expert system modules, which enable the user to answer questions, and receive reliable advice on how OSHA regulations apply to their work site.

OSHA (www.osha.gov) has a wide variety of publications available in Spanish, including QuickCards, fact sheets and posters focusing on common workplace hazards and possible solutions to those hazards.

For a list of these items, visit the Spanish publications page on OSHA’s Web site, or contact the OSHA Publications Office, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., N-3101, Washington, D.C. 20210. Telephone (202) 693-1888 or fax to (202) 693-2498.