Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao: Remarks at the Hispanic Safety and Health Summit - Orlando, Florida

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November 7, 2004 DOL Home > Newsroom > Speeches & Remarks

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Remarks by
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Hispanic Safety and Health Summit
Orlando, Florida
Thursday, July 22, 2004

Thank you, J.R. [Gonzales, Chairman & President, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce].

Thank you and your organization&#151and the Hispanic Alliance for Progress—for co-sponsoring this important summit with the Department of Labor.

This Summit demonstrates the commitment of President George W. Bush and his Administration to protecting the health and safety of our nation's diverse Hispanic workforce. This is the first national Hispanic summit on workplace safety and health in the history of the Department of Labor. It is part of this Administration's unprecedented outreach effort, which has produced an historic decline in workplace fatalities among Hispanic workers. This is a giant step in the right direction. But there is more to be done. That's what this summit is all about.

As I travel across this country, I meet hard-working immigrants—many of them Hispanic&#151eager to access the opportunities that America offers. They bring with them a strong work ethic, a commitment to their families and faith in the generosity and openness of the American people. They are an inspiration.

President George W. Bush and this Administration are committed to ensuring that the doors to opportunity remain wide open for the diverse Hispanic community. An important part of that commitment is setting a high standard for the health and safety of Hispanic workers.

There are more than 17.5 million Hispanic workers in America. They comprise 12.6 percent of the American workforce. Because of their high concentration in occupations in construction and agriculture, some Hispanics suffer higher rates of workplace injuries and fatalities. But I am proud of the fact that in 2002, workplace fatalities among Hispanic workers declined for the first time in seven years.

These numbers are moving in the right direction. But Hispanics still account for 15 percent of all workplace fatalities and 12.6 percent of serious injuries and illnesses. Those rates are simply unacceptable. President George W. Bush and this Administration are committed to driving these numbers down.

I want to commend John Henshaw, the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, for the tremendous job he is doing in developing and implementing this Administration's health and safety outreach program for Hispanic workers. The Labor Department has established a Hispanic Task Force dedicated to improving outreach and preventing injuries and fatalities among Hispanic workers.

As part of its efforts, OSHA has not only increased the number of inspections it conducts but has targeted industries with large proportions of Hispanic workers. As a result, about half of all OSHA inspections are currently focused on the construction industry.

The Department has found that language can be a barrier to worker health and safety. That's why the Labor Department is translating its health and safety materials into Spanish and is making this information available to employers and workers across the nation. In fact, I have a few samples with me today—

the Department's Employment Law Guide;
a booklet about OSHA's programs and services;
a card that explains what heat stress is and how to avoid it;
and OSHA's Employer Rights and Responsibilities brochure.

These are available here today.

And to further aid communication, the Labor Department has published online dictionaries of general industry, construction and safety and health terms. The dictionaries translate English into Spanish and Spanish into English, so everyone can use them. You can find these dictionaries at: www.osha.gov. Then click on “Compliance Assistance” and then on “Dictionaries of Spanish Terms.”

In addition, Spanish-speaking workers can access a Spanish-language operator when they call the Labor Department's national hotline for health and safety concerns. That toll-free number is: 1-800-321-OSHA [or 1-800-321-6742].

The Department has a comprehensive, proactive strategy to reach Hispanic workers and their families. A critical component of this strategy is understanding cultural preferences and incorporating these nuances into health and safety training.

Because of the importance of family in the Hispanic community, the Department is making safety a family affair. OSHA's Dallas and Ft. Lauderdale offices, for example, have sponsored family safety days for Spanish-speaking workers. They feature health and safety learning activities for everyone in the family and health and safety training sessions for workers.

The Department of Labor is also working with the Mexican Embassy and its Consulates in the United States to promote worker health and safety. In fact, the Department signed new agreements this week to continue our efforts to ensure that Hispanic workers will be safe on the job and fully and fairly compensated.

In addition, all the Labor Department's enforcement agencies have increased the number of investigators who speak Spanish and other languages. These investigators help ensure that vulnerable immigrants are safe and are paid a full day's wages for a full day's work, regardless of their immigration status. In fact, the Department has recovered more than $18 million for nearly 31,000 low-wage workers, many of whom are Hispanic, so far this year.

As you can see, the Department has a very aggressive program to reach out to Hispanic workers and the companies that employ them. You will hear more about what OSHA and others are doing to help make the workplace safer for Hispanic workers throughout this summit.

I would also like to note that the Department is working to ensure that Hispanics continue to climb the ladder of opportunity. One of the most under-appreciated aspects of our free enterprise system is that most workers who start at the bottom of the opportunity ladder do not remain there for very long. In fact, research published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 90 percent of workers hired at the minimum wage earn more than the minimum wage within one year.

That's why the Labor Department recently launched a $10 million Hispanic Worker Initiative to help Hispanic Americans prepare for and find good jobs that pay good wages.

President George W. Bush and this Administration recognize that the diverse Hispanic community includes not only millions of workers, but millions of entrepreneurs. To reach out to them, the Department hosted the first ever nationwide Opportunities Conference. Its goal is to help small businesses and community organizations serving the diverse Hispanic community&#151among others&#151to access the tools they need to grow. </p> <p>The programs I have touched upon today are just a few of the unprecedented initiatives President George W. Bush and his Administration have launched to reach out to the diverse Hispanic workforce. These efforts are focused on concrete solutions designed to meet the <strong><em>real </em></strong>needs of <strong><em>real </em></strong> people in the <strong><em>real </em></strong> world. That's what making a difference is all about. </p> <p>And that's why we're here in Florida, today&#151to raise awareness of the many resources available to help Hispanic workers on the job. </p> <p>I am pleased to recognize the tremendous contribution of the Hispanic community to the American workforce. With your help, we can continue to ensure that the doors of opportunity remain wide open for Hispanics and that Hispanic workers are safe and healthy on the job. </p> <p>Thank you for being here, today. </p> <p align="center"> </p> <P ALIGN="CENTER"> # # #</P> <P ALIGN="CENTER">_________________________________________________________________</P>  <TD BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" VALIGN="TOP" ALIGN="LEFT" WIDTH="15"></TD> <TD VALIGN="TOP" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#3366CC" WIDTH="155" rowspan="2">  <TABLE BORDER="0" WIDTH="150"> <TR> <TD> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/dol/regs/main.htm">Compliance Assistance</A></DIV> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="javascript:window.open('/dol/email.htm','Popup','width=800,height=500,toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes'); void('');" ONCLICK="window.status='Subscribe to E-mail Updates'; return true">Subscribe to E-mail Updates</A></DIV> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/fairpay/">Overtime Security</A></DIV> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/21cw/">21st Century Workforce Initiative </A></DIV> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/_sec/media/remarks.htm">Secretary's Speeches & Testimonies</A></DIV> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/dol/media/main.htm">Newsroom</A></DIV> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/dol/calendar/">Calendar</A></DIV> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/dol/business.htm">Doing Business With DOL</A></DIV> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/dol/library.htm">Research Library</A></DIV> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/esa/contacts/state_of.htm">State Labor Offices</A></DIV> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/dol/aboutdol/main.htm">About DOL</A></DIV> <UL CLASS="menu-item-hp"> <LI STYLE="margin-bottom: 3px"><a href="/dol/accomplishments/index.htm">State Activities</a></LI> </UL> <DIV CLASS="menu-header"><A HREF="/dol/organization.htm">DOL Agencies</A></DIV> <BR> </TD> </TR> <TR> <TD> <IMG SRC="/images/clear.gif" ALT=" " WIDTH="149" HEIGHT="1" BORDER="0"></TD> </TR> </TABLE>  <P></P></TD> </TR> <tr><td> <TABLE WIDTH="600" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" BORDER="0" VSPACE="0" HSPACE="0"> <TR> <TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="33%"> <DIV CLASS="footer-links"><A href="#content"><IMG SRC="/images/topdoc.gif" ALT="Back to Top" WIDTH="18" HEIGHT="18" BORDER="0" ALIGN="MIDDLE"></A> <A HREF="#content">Back to Top</A></DIV> </TD> <TD ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="33%"> </TD> <TD ALIGN="RIGHT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="33%"> <DIV CLASS="footer-links"><A HREF="http://www.dol.gov/">www.dol.gov</A></DIV></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD COLSPAN="3" ALIGN="CENTER"> <HR WIDTH="95%" COLOR="#003399"> <DIV ALIGN="CENTER" CLASS="footer-links"><A HREF="/dol/faqs/index.htm">Frequently Asked Questions</A> | <A HREF="/dol/foia/main.htm">Freedom of Information Act</A> | <A HREF="/feedback/FeedbackSurvey.asp">Customer Survey</A> <BR><A HREF="/dol/privacynotice.htm">Privacy & Security Statement</A> | <A HREF="/dol/disclaim.htm">Disclaimers</A> <b>|</b> <A HREF="/cgi-bin/emailfriend.asp">E-mail to a Friend</A></DIV> <HR WIDTH="95%" COLOR="#003399"> <TABLE WIDTH="100%" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" BORDER="0"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="50%" ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP"> <DIV CLASS="footer-address"><B>U.S. Department of Labor</B><BR>Frances Perkins Building<BR>200 Constitution Avenue, NW<BR>Washington, DC 20210</DIV></TD> <TD WIDTH="50%" ALIGN="RIGHT" VALIGN="TOP"><IMG SRC="/images/skip.gif" ALT="Phone Numbers" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1" BORDER="0" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ALIGN="LEFT"> <DIV CLASS="footer-address"><b>1-866-4-USA-DOL</b><BR>TTY: 1-877-889-5627<BR><A HREF="/dol/contact/index.htm">Contact Us</A></DIV></TD> </TR> </TABLE></TD> </TR> </table></td></tr> </TABLE>     <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="Javascript"> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="Javascript1.1"> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="Javascript1.2"> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="Javascript1.3"> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="Javascript1.4"> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="Javascript1.5"> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <IMG BORDER="0" NAME="DCSIMG" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1" SRC="http://statse.webtrendslive.com/dcs7sl75d21e5hek6e95sli2p_2u4f/njs.gif?dcsuri=/nojavascript&WT.js=No"> </NOSCRIPT>   </BODY> </HTML>