In recent years, about 70 percent of the foreign-born fatalities were among immigrants from Mexico.
Commenting on the study, Rakesh Kochhar, associated director for research at the Pew Hispanic Center, which also follows trends among that population but was not part of the new study, said, “Many of the Hispanic workers in construction are undocumented, and many of those who are recently arrived do face a language barrier. A language barrier hinders understanding of a job, or the risks associated with it, or safety precautions.”'
In 2003 through 2006, the highest totals of Hispanic work-related deaths were in California, with 773; Texas, with 687; and Florida, with 417. But the highest death rate for Hispanic workers was in South Carolina, about 23 per 100,000. A recent influx there of primarily foreign-born workers might account for that, experts said.
Hispanics make up about 14 percent of the nation's working-age population, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington-based research organization.
To read the report, log on to http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5722a1.htm
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