Due to an increase in demand from members, American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) officials have increased the number of sessions on workplace safety and the Latino workforce –– in English and Spanish –– to the June Safety 2005 Professional Development Conference (PDC) and Exposition schedule.
The PDC, to be held in New Orleans, LA, June 12 to 15, will feature six new sessions, three in Spanish, to help the Latino workforce and employers increase communications and workplace safety training aimed at reducing injuries and illnesses on the job.
The sessions to be delivered in Spanish include:
• “Hazardous Waste Remediation Case Study” –– a session that will outline the health and safety challenges of a large hazardous waste remediation project involving the manufacturing of chemical warfare agents and pesticides;
• “Engaging the Latino Workers in Safety and Health” –– a session on California’s (Cal/OSHA Consultation Program) two new training programs in Spanish and English that focus on accident prevention in construction and agriculture designed to instruct supervisors, farm labor contractors, crew leaders and employers in the best methods to teach Latino workers to recognize hazards and respond in the workplace to increase safety;
• “The Importance of Bilingual (Spanish/English) Safety Training Programs in the Workplace Methodologies” –– this session offers objective evidence on adopting bilingual methodology to teach Spanish-speaking employees safety issues by describing the Spanish workforce situation in the US, which occupations have the highest fatality rates, what methodologies are being used to teach safety and the results, as well as discussing what actions have been taken by government alliances, partnerships and the Susan Harwood training grant programs.
Three PDC sessions on working with a bilingual workforce to be presented in English include:
• “Translation 101 for Safety Professionals” –– this session will explore various options for bilingual communications, common pitfalls in translating materials, dialect issues and how to work with translators and interpreters more effectively;
• “Safety & Your Spanish Speaking Workforce” –– will provide attendees with a better understanding of the makeup of Latino employees and discuss how to improve one’s knowledge, understanding of the Latino workforce’s values, traditions and culture and their influence in the workplace, discuss what motivations work and how to improve communication and presentation skills;
• “Training in Occupational Safety and Health in Immigrant Communities Tailored to Cultural Backgrounds” –– will discuss safety, health and environmental (SH&E) outreach programs to immigrant communities while overcoming language barriers, the importance of considering one’s cultural background aspects when developing and delivering safety training and learning a series of cultural factors to be taken into account when designing and developing training that influence workers’ behavior towards safety, and ways to help workers integrate into a safety culture.
The three-day ASSE PDC will feature more than 200 sessions on the latest in occupational safety, health and the environment, including how to integrate safety at all levels, measure the value-added of safety and how to expand one’s professionalism and influence at work.
Other PDC highlights include the Executive Summit, a special session aimed at providing attendees the perspective of top corporate leaders as they discuss their views on the importance of employee safety and health in their organization.
Additionally, more than 300 exhibitors will be on hand at the PDC as well as pre- and post-conference seminars.
Formed in 1911, Des Plaines, IL-based ASSE is one of the largest and oldest professional safety organizations and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment. ASSE has more than 30,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professional members who manage, supervise, research and consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in all industries, government, labor and education.
For more information, call 847/699-2929 or visit www.asse.org.
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