Target Audience:

• Community leaders and faith-based communities with access to Hispanic and/or Polish construction workers who do not understand or speak English.
• Small construction companies with little or no access to safety training that employ Hispanic or Polish construction workers who do not understand or speak English.

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The demographics of the construction worker population in the U.S. has been shifting markedly in the last several decades from one with substantial skills sets and experience in the respective construction trades (laborers, carpenters, operators, electricians, plumbers, iron workers, etc.), to a growing population of untrained and inexperienced workers. Along with a deficiency in skills training and work experience among this growing population has come a lack of knowledge of relevant basic safety and health information. This has contributed to the persistence in the relatively high number of workplace fatalities, especially among those workers underserved by traditional apprentice training, those lacking in English language skills, and those whose immigration status has caused them to avoid government, corporate or union sponsored training programs in occupational skills, as well as health and safety.

The Construction Safety Council (CSC) has created a basic construction safety training and education system in English, Spanish and Polish that addresses the recognition and prevention of safety and health hazards pertaining to these four areas:

• Fall Hazards
• Electrical Hazards
• Struck-By Hazards & Caught-In-Between Hazards
• Health Hazards

The learning modules are designed for facilitation by faith-based groups and community organizations that have already garnered the trust and respect of the at-risk populations, as well as contractors who employ these populations. The modules fit into a system that will be delivered to the facilitators with training notes that will make delivery of the modules possible for people with some construction background, but non-health and safety professionals. The modules include of pictograms, and promote an interactive discussion about the subjects introduced in the pictograms.

The learning system is in the form of an 11” x 17” flip chart style book, made from thick stock and laminated for durability. The large size is to accommodate for the delivery method of the program; where a facilitator would hold up one side of the book revealing a pictorial of hazards and control measures while reading instructor notes on the reverse side of the book. A take-away book with all lessons will also be provided for each student under the grant. The materials are free. The only requirement is that trainers must return to the Council a simple sign in sheet and evaluation for each “class”. Return envelopes will be provided.

Training topics include:

• Employee General Safety
• Housekeeping
• Material Handling Safety
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Health Hazards
• Ladder Safety
• Fall Protection
• Scaffolds
• Aerial Lifts
• Overhead Power Lines
• Electrical Safety
• Power Tool Hazards
• Machine Guarding
• Trench and Excavation Safety
• Cranes and Rigging
• Work Zone Traffic Safety

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN USING THESE TRAINING MATERIALS, CALL BEVERLEE CARRICK FOR INFORMATION AT 800-552-7744, EXT 202