Language Disconnect in Construction Raises Safety Concerns, but Change Is Coming

A persistent language barrier on U.S. construction sites is creating safety risks, stalling worker advancement, and limiting productivity. With Hispanic and Latino employees making up a fast-growing share of the workforce, contractors and safety experts say companies can no longer afford to ignore the issue.

“When I was working on construction jobsites, I saw multiple Spanish-speaking tradesworkers who did not receive the proper safety training in their native language,” said Jaime Garcia, a former electrician and safety manager.

“The amount of people that took the training but did not understand the training was massive. It was a huge gap,” Garcia said. When he pushed subcontractors to run classes in Spanish, he said, “I was told there was no time for that. I’m like, ‘Hmm, we need to train them, big time. We’re going to get someone hurt or killed out here.’”

Garcia eventually launched All-In Safety Professionals in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2020 to deliver bilingual safety programs.

“We had a lot of subcontractors that I knew that needed training,” Garcia said. “They were just showing up to these places, somebody would collect their money, sit them in their class talking English. They play one or two videos and sign a card and dip. And I didn’t like that.”

Rising Fatalities Highlight the Urgency

The risks are real: workplace fatalities for Hispanic or Latino workers across all industries increased 42% between 2011 and 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In construction — an industry already among the most dangerous — the share of Hispanic and Latino worker deaths continues to rise.

“We know without a doubt that it’s massively impactful to the safety of and wellbeing of these workers, but also then to the safety and efficiency of all of these operations as well as from a damage and delay standpoint,” said Loretta Mulberry, a language access consultant.

But beyond safety, Mulberry said the lack of language support holds back talented workers.

“It’s either ‘I don’t have the language skills to pass this English test,’ or ‘I am too self-conscious. I’m too nervous about my lack of English to get after that opportunity,’” she said. “So you see it from both sides. People are holding themselves back, but also the system is holding them back too.”

Translation vs. True Communication

Often, jobsite crews rely on the one bilingual worker to act as interpreter — a role that’s vital but flawed.

“Speaking a language is not the same thing as being qualified to do translation and interpreting,” Mulberry said. “The skills are not the same.”

Complicating matters, not all Spanish is the same. A single project may include workers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Honduras, or other regions, each with different dialects and terminology. Misinterpretation of even small details can put lives at risk.

Mulberry said that when it comes to safety, familiarity matters most:
“Anecdotally, you talk to anybody who’s ever studied a second language, even being very comfortable, fluent in their second language, and you ask them, ‘If your life were on the line, what would you want this information in English, Spanish, Polish, whatever it may be?’ People will always say, ‘My native language.’”

Practical Solutions Emerging

Garcia’s firm takes a hands-on approach by training with physical demonstrations and then monitoring workers in the field to reinforce lessons.

“Most of these people already work with their hands. They’re going to learn with their hands as well,” he said.

He also encourages contractors to add Spanish-language orientations for large projects. “Conducting an additional orientation — one workers would need anyway — in Spanish provides education without adding too much more time.”

Mulberry noted that many companies start with the basics, like translated employee handbooks and jobsite signage. “The number one request we get is for [translated] employee handbooks,” she said.

Meanwhile, Monique Lewis, CEO of Next 2 Native Language Learning, takes a different approach: training both English and Spanish speakers in industry-specific vocabulary to create two-way communication.

“When you have a Hispanic worker on site and they have a near miss, they need to be able to unpack that,” Lewis said. “They need to be able to say to their supervisor, ‘This almost happened.’ Otherwise, hazards may go unabated.”

Overcoming Budget & Time Barriers

Safety leaders often struggle to secure funding for bilingual programs, Mulberry acknowledged. Partnering with HR departments can help — since translated handbooks and basic workshops often fall under both compliance and culture.

“That’s always a good starting point because the safety folks can agree on it with the HR folks,” she said. “Everybody can agree that the employee handbook is the best place to start.”

Lewis said progress also begins with small cultural shifts: “Just the effort of trying, paired with the oft-use phrase ‘I’m going to butcher this word,’ on a first try can showcase the effort required to improve culture.”

Garcia advised contractors to start simple, even using budget-friendly translation gadgets. “I would really focus on taking just baby steps, using what we have available,” he said.

Looking Ahead

With construction’s reliance on immigrant and Spanish-speaking labor only set to grow, companies that prioritize bilingual safety efforts are likely to see not just fewer accidents, but higher retention, stronger teams, and better project outcomes.

For Garcia, the mission is straightforward: save lives. “We’re going to get someone hurt or killed out here” if the gap isn’t closed, he warned.

Originally reported by Zachary Phillips in Construction Dive.