Appendix A: Multilingual Resources
Below are resources to use when looking for (mostly) Spanish language health and safety material. Remember that simply translating English health and safety materials into Spanish or another language is not necessarily adequate for your target population to understand the material. There are many different terms and dialects in Spanish (and other languages) and you need to ensure you are using the correct ones. In addition, using the correct literacy level is just as important in other languages as it is in English. It is best to test the translated materials using a focus group made up of a subset of your target population.
English to Spanish OSHA Dictionary.
English-Spanish Dictionary of OSH Terms
ESL/Bilingual Resource Guide for Mainstream Teachers
Provides language acquisition charts, essential tips for working with English Language Learners, suggestions for supporting ESL students, and things to consider when teaching newcomers to read.
Portland, OR: Portland Public Schools District. Retrieved April 17, 2011
- Culture, Health and Literacy: A Guide to Health Education Materials for Adults with Limited English Literacy Skills
- Evaluation of the Limited English Proficiency and Hispanic Worker Initiative. (2009). U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Includes links to NIOSH publications on a variety of construction topics, and also provides links to other agencies and organizations that have Spanish resources.
Multilingual Resource Guide
Extensive collection of links to worker health and safety training materials (such as factsheets, curricula, and checklists) that are available from many sources online in languages other than English. At the end of the Guide, there is a listing of websites with additional links to health and safety information and resources in other languages.
Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health (eLCOSH)
Electronic library developed and maintained by the Center for Construction Research and Training and is intended to provide accurate, user-friendly information about safety and health for construction workers from a wide range of sources worldwide. Information is organized by hazard, trade and job site, and they have educational materials including tailgate guides, hazard alerts, and worker pocket cards and brochures. They reference construction-related materials available in other languages, including: Creole, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish.
Spanish Language Construction Training Website, Georgia Tech
Provides training guides in Spanish on several construction health and safety topics. For each topic, there are educational materials presented in various formats, including posters, pamphlets, tailgate session guides, and formal presentations.
Hispanics Work Safe
Provides training and educational materials for Hispanic construction workers, and includes the OSHA 10-hr course in Spanish, a English-Spanish construction dictionary, a video that offers an overview of the different health and safety hazards being encountered at construction workplaces, and other educational materials.
Labor Occupational Health Program, UC Berkeley
Includes a curriculum on construction safety, Tailgate Training for California Construction Workers, which is available in both English and Spanish. The book can help construction foremen and other trainers conduct effective safety training sessions on the job. It includes detailed Training Guides on 14 construction safety topics, with matching Checklists on related Cal/OSHA regulations. For some topics, Case Studies (based on actual injuries and accidents) and Factsheets are also provided. Both the English and Spanish editions of Tailgate Training for California Construction Workers are available for sale and can also be read online in English and Spanish.
Occupational Health Branch, California Department of Health Services
Includes a health and safety tailgate training kit in English and Spanish. The kit consists of Safety Break cards that cover 23 general construction safety topics and are linked to information in the Cal/OSHA Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry. These cards are simple to use and designed to improve the quality of tailgates.
MI Trabajo Seguro
Spanish-language website with helpful safety and health information available for construction workers. Developed in collaboration with the hit telenovela "Pecados Ajenos", this site introduces helpful construction safety information to workers and their families, parallel to a construction safety storyline on the show.