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...

So many times safety professionals find themselves pushing a rock uphill. Management brings them in because they acknowledge there are safety issues that need to be addressed; however, they seem to ignore or block any initiative brought up by the same professional they hired. It can frustrate the best of us! Are they intentionally trying to sabotage you? Probably not. Do they just not care? Unlikely. So what gives? Too many times we fail to understand and consider the company's motivational level when we talk about safety. As it relates to safety, every company goes through three motivational stages: 1. Financial Responsibility Stage — Generally small and/or start-up companies that don't have the financial or organizational resources to go beyond basic compliance. Although the executives and owners DO care and DO understand that the bare minimum is just that, they simply can't go above and beyond at this time. Strategy: Build a solid program that meets all the needed s...

The holidays are a time for decoration. We spend time and money to make our homes beautiful. Many holiday decorations include electrical elements for lighting and special effects. Although a single cord or decoration will hardly affect our home's electrical system, the way in which we string together and connect multiple decorations can overload our circuits. No one wants to deal with a fire at home — much less when we should be enjoying our time with friends and family. Our friends at the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have put together guidelines for safe and happy holidays. A few of the essentials: Inspect light strings and extension cords before use; discard any that are frayed, cracked, or damaged. Don't overload outlets or daisy-chain too many light strings onto a single circuit. Use lights and cords rated for the location — outdoor-rated products for outdoor use. Keep live trees watered and dec...