Lessons in many languages can boost workplace safety

HR Magazine, March, 1996 by Neville C. Tompkins

Cindy Lavado, human resource manager at the Taylor and Fenn Foundry in Windsor, Conn., speaks Portuguese fluently as well as English and serves as a translator and interpreter in leading the safety activities at the 230-employee facility. She translates safety training materials into Portuguese, then presents the training in both languages.

Most French-translated safety training takes place in the logging industry in the northeast. Michael St. Peter, program manager of Maine's Certified Logging Professional program, offers safety training in English and French to some 35 woodlands companies as part of their certification training programs. One-third of the more than 1,300 persons who have completed the program are French immigrants from Canada; they are instructed in chain saw safety, dangers in mechanical harvesting, hazardous chemical substances, and first aid at remote logging sites.

REINFORCING TRAINING ON THE JOB

After the trainer presents a program, what kind of follow-up mechanisms are used to ensure that the classroom training sticks and is actually practiced on the job? Supervisory follow-up is the principal method for some companies. At Aurora Packing Co., supervisors participate in the same training as their workers so they know what to look for in terms of unsafe work practices, says HR manager Fagel.

In the logging industry, a two-hour certification interview is held with all job candidates to see if they understand work-practice elements in the potentially dangerous tree felling and cutting business. Every other year, the safety trainers do a follow-up inspection of work sites to assess safety conditions and safe work practices.

Spanish trainer Arroyo says her client companies in California are usually small, locally owned businesses. As a follow-up to the training, she recommends methods to management for reducing hazards or changing work practices. She maintains contact with employers to see that recommendations are carried out.

SAFETY TRAINING TIPS

To help bridge the language gap, bilingual trainers advise emphasizing the visual aspects of material with simple words and phrases used in supporting text. Comprehension of safety and health materials can be improved by taking the focus off reading and speaking; instead, trainers suggest the following:

* Use line drawings, sketches and photographs to emphasize key points in the text.

* Use examples with videos or photographs taken on the job.

* Use real-life examples of accidents at the workplace.

* Incorporate safety signs and symbols from your workplace in the training presentation.

* Have relevant materials translated into the second language, keeping technical jargon to a minimum and matching key English words with a side-by-side translation to the other language.

* Develop materials with English on the lefthand page and the second language on the right, so that trainees can quickly cross-reference words in both languages.

* Use the "buddy system" for training new hires on the job, with a supervisor, job instructor or safety committee member who speaks the employee's language and can communicate instructions clearly.