OSHA Report on Feria Familiar de Salud y Seguridad
Ft. Lauderdale, FL Area Office, the University of South Florida (USF), SafetyFlorida Consultation Program and the USF/OSHA Training Institute at the College of Public Health, Host a Hispanic Worker Family Health and Safety Fair

Workers from Laborer’s International Union of North America Local 800 listen intently to Cesar Asuaje from the University of Florida, during the "Pesticide and Personal Protection Equipment" training seminar. Workers gather around during the hands-on "Scaffolding and Falls" training seminar presented by Iván Alicea from Safway Scaffolds.

On March 27, 2004, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Region IV, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Area Office, the University of South Florida (USF), College of Public Health SafetyFlorida Florida Consultation Program and the USF/OSHA Training Institute, hosted a Hispanic worker Family Health and Safety Fair, a safety and family health education event at Milander Park and Auditorium in Hialeah, Florida. USF, College of Public Health, includes the USF SafetyFlorida Consultation Program, which provides free on-site safety and health consultations and training to small businesses. The college also hosts the USF OSHA Training Institute, which offers safety and health training courses designed to help businesses reduce the incidence, and resulting cost of, workplace injuries and illnesses.

The fair was developed to promote outreach to Hispanic families and “hard to reach” employees, especially those individuals unable to read and/or understand instructions in English. It focused on educating Hispanic workers and their families on workplace safety and health issues to help reduce injuries and fatalities, especially in the construction and landscaping industries. According to the USF, College of Public Health, there is one workplace fatality each week in South Florida. Over the course of one year, sixty percent of these fatal injuries were suffered by Hispanic workers.

Over three hundred workers and their families attended the fair, which included twenty-four safety training workshops, health screenings and children's’ vaccinations. The workshops, offered several times throughout the day by safety experts lecturing exclusively in Spanish, covered eight safety and health training subjects highlighting the dangers and risks in the construction and landscaping industries that can lead to injuries and death. The workshops for employers and employees included: Scaffolding and Falls, Trenching and Excavations, Roofing and Masonry, Tool Safety, Drowning and Electrocution, and Pesticides - Personal Protective Equipment, Application and Spills. Workers were encouraged to attend the safety training workshops through an incentive program. This program offered whoever attended a minimum of three sessions the chance to win a 1995 Chrysler Concorde.

According to OSHA’s Ft. Lauderdale Area Director Luis Santiago, “The fair was a tremendous success, training about two hundred workers in several of the twenty-four sessions conducted, while about one hundred of their spouses and children participated in safety and health clinics.” Santiago added that workers exiting the fair commented that this event was the first time that they had ever been warned about hazards to which they are regularly exposed and of the means to protect themselves.

In addition, the fair attendees had the opportunity to take part in free health screenings which included among others, checking for high blood pressure, heart rate and pulmonary condition, cholesterol levels, eye examinations, and information and shots to prevent childhood diseases.

The USF, College of Public Health in Tampa, Florida was integral to the success of the Family Health and Safety Fair. USF SafetyFlorida provided the administrative and planning support for the fair. They also developed and distributed a free CD with the fair’s information to help employers deliver safety training to their Hispanic workers.

A Region IV Ft. Lauderdale Area Office Alliance and a Region IV Ft. Lauderdale Area Office Strategic Partnership were also instrumental in the planning, implementation and success of the fair. The Ft. Lauderdale Area Office, and Florida East Coast Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Inc., signed an Alliance on January 19, 2004, focusing on developing training and education programs for youth and Hispanic workers in the construction industry. Through the Alliance, OSHA and ABC members promoted the event by distributing information at many of their sites and throughout the local communities. Several ABC members also contributed funds and resources, such as providing Hispanic trainers for the fair’s construction training sessions. In addition, various ABC members exhibited and provided safety information for the trades that they represented, including potential employment opportunities.

The Strategic Partnership agreement, between the Ft. Lauderdale Area Office and the Associated General Contractors of America’s (AGC) South Florida Chapter, was signed on September 19, 2002 and focuses on reducing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in the construction industry. In support of the Strategic Partnership, the AGC members participated in the planning committee for the fair. Several AGC members were also major sponsors, contributing funds and resources such as Hispanic trainers for three of the fair’s construction training sessions.

As a result of the success of the March 2004 fair, OSHA’s Region IV Regional Office plans to host four additional safety and health fairs before October 2005. While specific dates have not been selected, these events will take place in Birmingham, Alabama, Gainesville, Georgia, and two in Florida, possibly in Orlando and Homestead. For more information on the fairs, please contact OSHA’s Region IV Assistant Regional Administrator Bill Grimes in Atlanta, GA at telephone (404) 562-2300.