BIO

Sandy Escalante grew up in Pompano Beach, Florida. She is a second-year student and a Nursing major. She plans to specialize in Public Health since she wants to work in community settings. Her careers goals are to become a Registered Nurse and to continue in research.

Influence of Contractors on Immigrant Latino Construction Workers’ Safety Behaviors in Small-Scale Residential Construction

Abstract

Immigrant Latino workers are disproportionately at greater risk of accident and injury in the construction industry in the United States. The purpose of this study is to observe the contractor’s impact on workers’ safety behaviors. Previous evidence and statistics showed that Latino immigrant construction workers have a higher injury at work than non-Latino construction workers. The Ponte Listo project is to reduce the number of health disparities experienced by Latino workers and to encourage safe behavior on the job through safety education.
Participants who have been working at residential constructions are invited to participate in a qualitative in-depth interview. Through the interviews, it is determined by their assumption and reasoning that immigrant Latino workers have the highest rate of injury and insight into strategies to promote worker safety on the job. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through codes for recognizable patterns.
Though findings suggest, small-scale contractors may be utilized for promoting safety behavior in the construction workplace. The contractors contribute to the changes in training the workers when first employed and the ones with responsibility for their wellbeing at times of an accident. They are the ones who employ the workers and themselves are experienced working along with the workers. Understanding the perspectives of contractors can provide a safety environment for their workers.

Keywords: Immigrant Latino, Construction, Health Disparities