Why Language Access Saves Lives on the Job Site
BY Loretta Mulberry
How language access is non-negotiable to build a safer work zone
Walk onto almost any construction site in the United States, and you’ll see that our industry is powered by a diverse, multilingual workforce. While this can be a strength, the language gap can present increased risk in an already dangerous industry if left unaddressed. The solution does not need to be expensive, though there is significant ROI potential to improving your language access. The first and most important step is simply to acknowledge the gaps in your operation and dedicate yourself to bridging them one piece at a time.
A large part of our workforce is Latino and Spanish-speaking. While the exact figure is hard to determine due to systemic underreporting of this demographic, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that Hispanics (meaning people with the ethnic background of a Spanish-speaking country) make up more than 19% of the U.S. workforce as of 2023. Hispanics are overrepresented in the construction industry with the CPWR estimating over a third of the construction workforce being Hispanic as of 2022, about 25% more than in 2011.
Data from both sources confirms that Latino construction professionals face a disproportionately higher risk of both injury and fatality on the job. In fact, OSHA estimates that language plays a role in one out of every four job site incidents. Still, most safety and training resources in the trades are available only in English leading to both language and culture barriers.
This isn’t an issue that can be swept aside because “this is just the way things have always been.” The language gap will impact most if not all organizations at some point, whether directly with your team members or more indirectly through inability to recruit and retain qualified candidates simply because of their language skills.
The solution is language access. If you’re new to this term, it simply means providing all employees with equitable access to the resources they need to learn effectively and work safely, regardless of their level of English proficiency. It’s about enabling communication.
Without a plan for language access, your operation is vulnerable to many avoidable risks. The first and perhaps most obvious gap is safety. If workers can’t understand their safety training, a shouted warning, or the hazardous materials sign, they are in immediate danger.
This is directly tied to the second gap: training. We all learn best and engage more enthusiastically in our native language. A CPWR study showed a 90% increase in engagement with safety materials once workers were provided with Spanish language documents. If your training is only in English, you’re not getting the best out of your team and you’re likely spending extra time and money to retrain when the message wasn’t impactful the first time. Employees who get proper training in their own language will work more safely, confidently and efficiently. That same CPWR study resulted not only in a decrease in injury incidents for the LEP workers now being trained in Spanish, but improved safety numbers, general efficiency, and employee morale for the entire team.
The third most prevalent gap is recruiting. Language access isn’t just a safety problem; it’s a business and human problem. If all your job applications, ads and onboarding materials are English-only, you’re cutting yourself off from a massive pool of skilled, motivated talent.
Combined, all of this leads to a critical gap in mental health and suicide prevention. Construction already has a devastatingly high suicide rate. Many causes are exacerbated by the isolation and strain of language and cultural gaps. We can’t expect someone to feel mentally safe if they don’t even feel physically safe.
Migrant workers often feel immense pressure to put performance before their own well-being, fearing they’ll lose their job if they speak up. Some might come from a cultural background where employee safety was a far lower priority than productivity, or they may have experienced retaliation when communicating issues or concerns with leadership. In this case, connecting with team members on a human level is key to building trust that you truly do care about their safety.
How to Start Safer Communication
Fortunately, there are many small and easily achievable steps to take toward closing these gaps, and you don’t have to fix everything overnight. The best place to start is with your people. Look within your ranks. You probably already have “bilingual champions” on your crew—people who are constantly being pulled aside to translate or interpret for others. Formally recognize this work. Give them the space and time to do this linguistic work properly, without sacrificing the quality of their “real” job or their own mental health.
Better yet, consider outsourcing some of this linguistic work to a professional language services provider. Aim your mentorship and leadership training programs directly at your LEP workers and, when you have openings, try to hire bilingual people for your key leadership and administrative roles.
A great first project is to get your core onboarding and training materials translated into Spanish. This immediately expands your recruiting pool and starts every new hire off on the right foot. But this has an even more powerful side-effect of building trust. Many migrant workers may not know they are afforded many legal protections (like OSHA rights). When onboarding, present them with their rights alongside their responsibilities. This one act builds immense trust and shows you’re a company that rules by respect, not fear.
This trust-building is essential for your mental health initiatives. Don’t just translate your existing employer assistance program (EAP) flyer and call it a day. Work with your multicultural team members to make your initiatives culturally relevant as well as linguistically accurate. The message must fit the audience. For many, religion and family are pillars of support, so let your programs prioritize those if that’s what your team members prefer. For high-stakes events like all-hands safety meetings or important human resources calls, hire a professional interpreter to ensure everyone is on the same page. If these events are shown as videos, consider dubbing them into Spanish or at least subtitling them.
There are several options to begin your translation efforts. If you’re doing it in-house, look into a free or cheap computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool. This is a type of translation management software that centralizes all your translations, keeps them consistent, and makes you more efficient by automatically recognizing and filling previously translated text. AI tools are getting better all the time, but it is always prudent to have a professional linguist or at least a native speaker check the AI translations for quality assurance before you publish them.
If you’re outsourcing to a professional language services provider, which is highly recommended to take some of that linguistic work off your bilingual team members’ plates, be specific with your questions and about your needs to find the right partner for your unique team. Don’t be afraid to shop around between freelancers or larger companies.
It can feel overwhelming, so prioritization is key. Start with whatever will have the most impact on keeping team members safe and keeping your company in compliance. This usually means tackling the employee handbook, safety manuals, benefits information and all orientation materials first. Remember, OSHA requires employee understanding.
Ultimately, you don’t need to become a linguistic and cultural expert overnight. Your LEP workers already know what they want and need. When in doubt, ask them. Your most important job is to create a supportive environment that is free of judgment and repercussion. When your people feel confident enough to speak up about their concerns and communicate their ideas for improvement, you’ve unlocked the single most powerful safety and efficiency tool you have.
Loretta Mulberry is the proprietor of LM Consulting Services LLC. Connect with her on LinkedIn or by email lorettamulberry@gmail.com.