Best way to communicate safety topics to contractors who don’t speak English?
A few years back I was involved with a job where some of the contractors did not speak English. I wasn’t sure if they were truly understanding the safety debriefings (which were given in English). Unfortunately I only speak English, and we did not have a translator available.
I was wondering if anyone else out there has had this same issue. What did you guys do to facilitate communication? That job prompted my (then) company to put a clause into our contractor agreement saying that all communication would be in English. That was more CYA measure, but doesn’t address the issue of how to communicate important safety info to those contractors.
Comments (10)
Are these true contractors who are there for a specific job and then done? Or are they contracted workers who are going to be on the job long term?
1) It never hurts to brush up on a second language ;)
2) Google Translate
3) Work with your purchasing department to ensure they bring on companies who can understand company policies
4) OSHA offers training materials in multiple languages on their website
For employees and temps you need to train them in a language they understand. Many of the online training companies offer courses in multiple languages as well. Ive used JJ Keller in the past.
This is a very common issue. I think safety must be given in the native language, even though the employee is not in his/her native country. When a person is contracted, the employer must ensure proper safety communication. Don't you think? Safety is first!
In fact, within some countries this a requirement by law.
Kind regards.
Unfortunately, that CYA clause does not actually CYA. OSHA specifically states this in an official memo: "if an employee does not speak or comprehend English, instruction must be provided in a language the employee can understand." Fortunately I speak Spanish and that has truly been critical to my success as a safety professional.
Here's the link:
https://www.osha.gov/dep/standards-policy-statement-memo-04-28-10.html
David,
I've had a few employees sent out to our jobs that don't speak English (mainly laborers) and we've dealt with them in similar ways that the other folks have mentioned. A few keys to this were:
1. Do they understand the training received? If not, no go on allowing them to work onsite. Like
2. Is there a translator available that you can partner them with? Some cases this works depending on their job duties and how the contract is structured with manpower.
3. Always test their knowledge on the signage in the field. If they don't understand how to read the danger/caution/confined space... signs, they don't need to be wandering around in hazardous areas alone.
Again, these are just my thoughts and not straight from OSHA. They may be additional requirements when dealing with communication and training.
Andrew
This is something that we have been encountering more of. We did pretty well using supervisors who could speak both English and Spanish. Now we are starting to see more employees come in who speak Swahili or French. This has proven to be difficult for us. We typically will get another employee to translate for us. We are also looking at using Google translate to translate our training materials.