Build Safe Communication for Asphalt Workers

A friend in the industry was chatting with me on the phone one day about the use of pictograms to help all crew members understand paving operations. Sadly, the pictograms weren’t cutting it. He said the crew’s foreman had resorted to taking pictures of various settings, temperature readings, mat depths, and so on, to give examples to the crew members who did not speak English and did not understand the pictograms. The foreman would point to the picture showing the desired setting, then would show the worker how to make the dial on the screed match it.

While this is creative problem-solving in the field, this is not how you want your paving operation to work.

This is certainly not how you want workers trying to communicate when safety is on the line.

Loretta Mulberry, a consultant in language access, shared with the AsphaltPro audience how critical it is to communicate in a worker’s native language in her article “Speak a Safer Site into Being,” in the February issue.

Safety is obviously the first “gap” when communication breaks down. Training is the second gap she discussed. Recruitment is the third. But all of this leads to a critical gap in overall well-being for an asphalt company’s workers.

In that article, she also gave safety directors and company managers some steps for implementing language access. It begins with small steps that lead to the larger goal of access to safety, training and whole-body health for each worker in the company.

• Start by looking for your bilingual champion, who is probably already serving as an interpreter on your crew(s). Recognize this person and give them the tools necessary to succeed.
• Consider outsourcing this interpreting work rather than relying on someone who has “other” responsibilities.
• Start translating your recruitment, onboarding and training materials.
• For company-wide meetings, hire a professional interpreter to ensure everyone understands the important messages.
• For videos of these meetings or their content, considering having them dubbed in Spanish.

Prioritization is key. You can’t do everything overnight, so start with whatever will have the most impact on keeping your team members safe and keeping your company in compliance.

As Mulberry stated in her article, “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.” By offering that atmosphere of safety and health through communication, you’re that much closer to an efficient and safe workforce.

Read the complete article here.