By Tom Frisby

“Hablo Espanol?”

If you’re in the construction industry and you don’t yet speak Spanish, it’s time to learn.

That’s because Hispanics, the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, will be the largest minority by the year 2005, with over 36 million Hispanics living and working in the United States. In the Lowcountry, Hispanics comprise about 3% of the population, while in some geographical areas they comprise over 70% of the construction workforce, especially in the residential sector.

With a growing Hispanic workforce comes increased challenges. For example:

–  Language is often the No. 1 obstacle on a work site.

–  Safety has become a major issue among non-English speaking employees, to the extent that workplace fatalities are highest among Hispanics. Last year there was a 20%-plus jump in fatalities among Hispanic workers nationwide.

–  Language barriers may also prevent effective coordination between the trades (for example, an English speaking HVAC crew and a non-English speaking framing crew).

Successful owners, developers and contractors must therefore develop a strategy for incorporating Hispanic businesses or workers into their plans.  The first tactical plan is to deal with the language barrier. Several options are currently available in the construction industry:

–  The International Conference of Building Officials has published a pocket-sized dictionary of construction terms and phrases in both Spanish and English. Entitled Constructionary-Construccionario, it contains over 1,000 construction terms and 70 useful phrases with phonetic pronunciations.

–  Associated General Contractors of the Carolinas has undertaken a bilingual safety program for its membership.

–  The American Red Cross conducts OSHA-approved courses for Hispanics in First Aid, CPR and AED. Call Philippe Gresle, director of health and safety, at 744-8021 ext. 357, for more information.

–  Every employer has a duty to provide a safe working environment for all employees and communication is the basic tool for informing the employee of safe practices as well as enforcing them.

The employer also has a duty to train all employees. The first step in training a Hispanic workforce begins with selecting a qualified foreman who knows the language and culture. A basic safety program from one of the sources indicated above should also be provided and should emphasize the four causes of 90% of fatalities: falls, being struck by falling objects or vehicles, being caught in cave-ins and trenching and electrical hazards, such as power tools or overhead power lines.

The same basic ingredients for managing any workforce apply to the Hispanic workforce as well: communicate, train, treat with respect and provide a safe work environment. The most common deficiency we find among contractors is that of training.

We must all raise the bar of performance in providing adequate training for all personnel in our companies and at the same time realize that if we are to hire and use Hispanics, the challenge is exacerbated as a result of the language barrier and cultural differences.

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