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OPA News Release: [05/26/2004]
Contact Name: Mike
Biddle
Phone Number: (202) 693-5051
Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao Highlights Hispanic
Worker Safety, Delivers Address at U.S.–Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Roundtable
WASHINGTON—U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao
expressed her concern for Hispanic worker safety at the U.S.–Mexico
Chamber of Commerce’s NAFTA & CAFTA Conference and Good Neighbor
Awards Gala today at the Westin Embassy Row Hotel.
“The Department of Labor is concerned about workplace injuries and
fatalities among Hispanic workers,” said Chao. “That’s why we
established a Hispanic Workers Task Force, which is dedicated to improving
outreach and preventing fatalities among Hispanic workers.”
Among the concrete steps the DOL has taken are:
- translating its health and safety materials into Spanish and
distributing them in workplaces nationwide;
- increasing the number of Spanish-speaking investigators; and
- increasing the number of inspections.
Chao added that about half of the inspections are now in the
construction industry, which has a relatively high percentage of injuries and
fatalities among Hispanic workers. As a result of the increased inspections,
fatalities among Hispanic workers are declining for the first time since
1995.
The purpose of this annual conference is to examine sector-by-sector
successes, strategies and challenges for companies operating within the North
American Free Trade Agreement and the U.S. Central American Free Trade
Agreement.
The U.S.–Mexico Chamber of Commerce is a group of distinguished
Mexican and U.S. businessmen who have created a bilateral organization to
promote trade, investment and joint ventures on both sides of the border.
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