Construction death in Utah highlights safety issues for immigrant workers
A man from El Salvador, who had legal permission to work in the United States, was killed last week after falling to his death on a construction job, according to a report in the Tooele Transcript Bulletin.
Francisco Antonio Alaman-Renderoz, 45, fell to his death while putting in a fireplace wall during construction of a private cabin. According to OSHA regulations, construction workers should use a harness, safety line or railing f they're working at heights over six feet. Alaman-Renderoz, who was working 25 to 35 feet off the ground , was not wearing any kind of safety equipment when he fell.
This tragic story illustrates the danger that many Hispanic workers face every day when the go to work. Hispanics hold a quarter of all construction jobs, according to the Pew Hispanic Center and that puts them at high risk for on-the-job injuries and even death.
According to the Utah newspaper article:
Construction-related deaths are most common among Hispanic workers, according to Salt Lake City-based Greg Summerhays of Workers Compensation, an insurance company that writes accident policies for employers.
"Hispanics are getting injured a lot more than anyone else, partly because they're working in the most dangerous jobs, but there's also a lack of training"- said Summerhays.
Surprisingly, Summerhays' company is making an effort to reduce Hispanic workers' job-related injured and to educate them about their benefits if they are hurt.
"To educate them on the fact they do have rights and benefits, and if their employers are asking them to do something unsafe they can refuse to do that," said Summerhays. "From a business standpoint, it's smart for us to explain their rights because we save injuries." For the last year and a half, his company, Workers Compensation has provided an English safety program to policy holders and attended Hispanic community events to offer information. They have also developed a separate Hispanic program, because while deaths were falling among other workers, they were increasing among Hispanics.
it's heartening to hear about an insurance company that is working to educate workers about their benefits.