The Bilingual Safety Guy

Many of my colleagues in the construction safety industry make real attempts at communicating with the largely Spanish-speaking workforce. One of the most frequent statements I hear from them is "I wish I had paid more attention in my high school Spanish class." However, would that have been enough? As it turns out, the ability to master Spanish, or any other language, strictly based on 4 years of high school exposure is not likely to be enough. As Amelia Friedman pointed out in her article  published in The Atlantic , fewer than 1% of American adults end up proficient in a foreign language they studied in a U.S. classroom — even though, in 2008, roughly 93% of U.S. high schools offered foreign-language classes. Add the fact that, as a skill, language learning requires practice. Most US students taking foreign language classes lack access to native speakers with whom to practice their skills. So, are my friends doomed to never learn a new language? Absolutely not! You CAN ...

OSHA's new fine structure went into effect on January 15, 2020. Compliance officers can now recommend the following penalties: Serious, Other-Than-Serious, Posting Requirements: $13,494 per violation Failure to Abate: $13,494 per day beyond the abatement date Willful or Repeated: $134,937 per violation Read the full release on the Federal Register . Note: OSHA penalty amounts are adjusted annually for inflation — check osha.gov for the current figures.

Driving, listening to the radio, having a conversation with your passengers and watching the GPS directions. Sound familiar? Did you notice something missing? How about paying attention to traffic? With so many things constantly competing for our attention it's no wonder we have convinced ourselves that multitasking is a skill we have (or must develop). Unfortunately, this is an absolute myth! The truth is that our brains can only fully focus on any one thing at a time. Let's look at some situations we may have encountered that show how this works: The classic: "Turn the radio down, so I can see where I'm going" as we try to find an address. The relatively new: "I missed my exit because I was on the phone." The always troublesome: "I didn't hear my spouse because I was on Facebook." Have you experienced any of these? All of them? Think about what happens when you are at work but have family or other concerns in mind. I bet your pro...